Promises To Keep
by KazumaRokubi
Summary: Follow one Kurai Rokue, born Takeshi Uchiha, and Amaya Namikaze through the Naruto storyline with some alterations in parts: this is technically an AU. ItaXoc, OCxOC, others. See author profile for full summary. Rated M for later chapters. R&R desired.
1. Beginnings & Endings

Here is the first chapter of Promises to Keep(P2K for short): this is a new, re-written combination of Love & Loneliness and Konoha's Missing Bloodlines. I am simply taking L&L and, keeping parts I liked, re-wrote it to form the first few chapters of P2K. Once we get past the story/timeline of L&L, it will be the same only with KMB: the two are now one story, re-written with good scraps of the originals mixed in. Since I am re-writing **_ALL OF IT_**, KMB and L&L will be taken down now that this chapter is up. Do **_not_** ask me to update KMB because I wil not answer you and you will never get your wish: look for updates to P2K instead, since it is the same characters and story just re-vamped and more suitably fleshed out. There is another story, P2K Accompaniments, which has character profiles and side stories about other characters to go with this one. If someone requests a story and they want it written into P2K, that is where it will go. If someone requests me to do a particular pairing or something, that is where it will go. Thanks for supporting me thus far guys and I hope you enjoy this more than the originals!

P.S.: Don't forget to R&R even if you hate my guts, because I will look at everything you say and accept it if its true. If it isn't true...well I'll probably just ignore it but hey, I am a fanfiction writer: don't like it, BITE ME *shrugs and sticks out tongue Reno-style*

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, it is copyrighted to Masashi Kishimoto and those other pplz like Shounen Jump. I do own any and all OCs in the main P2K story, that is to say THIS ONE. Any OCs that aren't mine, I will SPECIFICALLY TELL YOU WHOSE THEY ARE AND PROVIDE LINKAGE, so don't ask if you can use them(My answer will probably be no.) unless you know they're mine.

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Promises to Keep, Chapter One: Beginnings and Endings

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~Hokage Tower, December 26th five years before the Kyuubi attack~

Noisy…so very, very noisy and only six and a-half months old: Orochimaru gazed down at the small bundle that the Third Hokage handed him with an expressionless face. :_Why does it wail so?_: Was the first thought the snake summoner had upon receiving his new ward. Quite suddenly, the bundle ceased all movement, a small coo issuing from it. One tiny hand reached towards Orochimaru's face and wolf met snake for the first time…

~One year & three months later, mid-morning on March 9th~

"Takeshi-kun, you cannot go outside naked!! It is frigid and raining!!" Orochimaru scolded, desperately trying to maintain patience with the nude almost two-year-old boy that was running away from him through the garden. Squealing with laughter, the toddler dodged his caretaker's every attempt to catch him.

"Having trouble, Orochimaru?" A woman's voice called from the front gate. Orochimaru looked up to spot Tsunade and glowered as the boy ran to her without pausing for a second. Tsunade picked up the toddler and wrapped him in a blanket that she'd brought on impulse. Jiraiya, appearing at her side, laughed as he tickled the boy's chin.

"Humph." Was the only answer that Orochimaru gave as he took the rambunctious toddler from his fellow Sannin. "I must get him dressed: he is to be taken before the Council this afternoon." Without another word, Orochimaru took the boy inside, shutting Tsunade and Jiraiya out. After a half hour of minor struggles, young Takeshi Uchiha was dressed and ready for presentation to the Council. As soon as Orochimaru finished putting the boy's coat on, they departed for the Hokage Tower.

Ten minutes passed and the two arrived at the Hokage Tower; several people waved at the youngster who walked with one of the three Sannin. Takeshi frowned…he had never understood why he couldn't live in the Uchiha district with his family, but he couldn't say that he didn't like his caretaker-sensei either. He was far more mature and more intelligent than average two-year-olds, this the boy knew exceptionally well; he also knew that he scared people. The Hokage and other council members were waiting for them as they entered the council chamber. After being seated, Orochimaru and Takeshi sat, patiently waiting to be addressed. The two sat in silence for many minutes before the Third finally spoke.

"He has made respectable progress?" The Third seemed to be genuinely curious and as straight-forward as always when he addressed Orochimaru: he was one of maybe five who truly cared about the boy.

"He has. He is not quite two, yet he can speak as well as any seven-year-old and has already achieved the skill level of a genin. I have kept his prowess and true identity hidden, as this Council requested. However, I am hard pressed not to ask why it is that you want him hidden. I have raised the boy as my apprentice, just as I was ordered. He is a handful at times, but all is manageable once you understand him. However, it is not an easy task to hide his Sharingan now that it has activated. I can't help but wonder what this council has planned for such a gifted child."

"That is not your business, Orochimaru-sama. Feel justified in the knowledge that this Council felt that you alone were capable of teaching such a child. But now he is to be instructed by another; your duty to him is over." Homura said coldly while Koharu nodded her agreement. Danzo entered and the Third was obviously displeased as he motioned to Orochimaru, who got the message: time for him to leave. The adults exchanged the proper farewells and formalities before the Sannin left, leaving Takeshi alone and at the mercy of the Council. It had been decided that he was to be given to Danzo and become a Root ANBU. Naturally, the boy DID NOT want to go to Root and proceeded to fight, tooth and nail, in an effort to escape the adults. After chasing the boy around the whole of Hokage Tower and finally getting an ANBU to catch him, the Third managed to convince the boy that he needed to trust in the Council's decision. Finally, after much heated debate from the boy along the lines of "NO!", the Third got him to accompany Danzo to wherever it was he was taking the boy.

~Meanwhile, elsewhere in Konoha~

"Minato-sensei, come quick! Its begun!" Rin panted as she pulled on her sensei's arm, having run all the way from the hospital to fetch him from a training session with Kakashi and Obito; she had offered to stay with Kushina because of her medical training. Minato Namikaze didn't have to ask what had begun, he knew and he instantly took off in the direction of the hospital. His students blinked after him for a moment, marveling as they always did at how fast their sensei could move, before following after him. Despite being on the other side of the village, they reached the hospital in less than ten minutes, with Minato well ahead of them. Konoha's Yellow Flash paused just long enough to ask a question of the nurse before dashing away again. His students gave up: there was no point trying to chase him now, since they would be required to wait outside anyways. Instead, the trio settled for trying to stop the stitches in their sides and catch their breath. When they had sufficiently regained their composure, the team made their way upstairs and into the waiting room designated for expectant families. After some time, Jiraiya arrived and silently took a seat; they were startled when, after a half-hour, Minato came in looking a bit haggard. He flopped into the seat beside Jiraiya and gave his sensei a weak smile in exchange for the raised eyebrow and silent question he'd offered.

"Apparently, I'm worrying to excess and it is annoying Kushina and the doctors. So, I've been instructed to wait out here until called." The young Namikaze explained with a rueful chuckle. "Perhaps I am being just a bit…overbearing." Jiraiya laughed at him and patted his shoulder reassuringly.

"Relax Minato! All fathers are nervous during the birth of their first-borns!" Minato gave him a half-hearted glare, causing the Sannin to laugh harder. "Besides, women have been doing this since long before any of us were born. Don't worry about Kushina; she's a strong woman and a fine kunoichi. She's got this whipped, you'll see. So stop worrying and concentrate on doing what you can and let other people worry about the rest." Minato sighed and gave his sensei a wane smile before beginning to converse with his own students in an attempt to distract himself from his worry over his wife. He and Kushina had been married for just under a year and they had not been planning on starting a family quite this quickly. Suffice to say, it had been a bit of a surprise to both of them when Kushina had found out she was pregnant only a couple of months into their marriage. Roughly an hour passed and the sun was setting before Minato was called back into the delivery room: he came in just as the sound of crying filled the room. One of the nurses ushered him to the bedside and he was relieved to see that Kushina was tired, but well as she smiled at him. The doctor, who had been suctioning out the baby's nose and mouth, had applied the clamps to the umbilical cord and asked Minato if he wanted to do the honor of cutting it. Startled, Minato did so with the guidance of one of the nurses before they took the baby over to a mobile warming table to be cleaned, examined, and wrapped up in warmed blankets.

"She's beautiful Minato…a perfect example of why women do this at all." Kushina chuckled, more than a bit wryly, as they brought the baby back and handed her to Minato. As he looked down at his daughter for the first time, Konoha's Yellow Flash felt his heart melt: this was different from the love he had for Kushina, and yet it was exactly the same. In that instant, he knew he would do anything for this fragile little life, even forfeit his own if it meant she would be safe and happy. After the nurses and the doctor finished cleaning up and had moved Kushina to a recovery room, Jiraiya was allowed in with Minato's students. The group brought in some flowers and other small gifts while Jiraiya had actually gone to the trouble of getting ramen from Ichiraku's for the new parents. The drowsing newborn was in the hospital bassinet, completely oblivious to the trio of teens that were casting disbelieving looks at her and then back at her mother: clearly, they weren't quite able to grasp at the reality that a seven pound, thirteen ounce baby had fit inside of Kushina.

"Minato-sensei, have you and Kushina-san named her yet? I'll bet its something really pretty!" Rin murmured as she reached out to tentatively stroke the baby's cheek but quickly pulled back when the little one scrunched up her face and wriggled. "Shhh! No, no, I'm sorry! Please don't cry!" Rin softly pleaded as the baby began to whimper.

"You just startled her Rin; she's new here is all!" Obito laughed as he watched Rin try to soothe the infant she had unintentionally upset. Kakashi was remaining obstinately distant, though out of respect or anxiety nobody knew. He was pointedly avoiding contact with the tiny newborn and he alone knew why: he was afraid to touch her, she was so small and fragile looking. He knew that if he put so much a single hair out of place on her little head, he'd catch absolute hell from Kushina.

"Hey, look- it's raining." Kushina observed, glancing out the open window at the soft sound of raindrops. "Rain can be soft and beautiful or harsh and terrible…especially rain that falls in the night…" She said thoughtfully, looking over at her daughter as Minato lifted her out of the bassinet. "Amaya…'night rain'." Minato had paused, understanding what Kushina meant as soon as she had said the name Amaya. He smiled and looked down at the baby girl, with her soft strawberry blond hair. Hair that would no doubt change in color as she aged and eventually earn her a solid reputation as a beauty if she was anything like her mother.

"Amaya Namikaze, huh? Well, it sounds fitting to me." Jiraiya said as he watched his student hold his newborn daughter with a broad smile.

~July 23rd, the year Kyuubi attacks~

"'Tachi, wait for me!!!" A small girl with fire-gold hair chased after the older boy while Rin watched them. Kushina had agreed to let Rin and Kakashi bring Amaya over to the Uchiha district while she had a doctor's appointment and Minato was in the middle of a meeting, effectively trapping him in his office as Hokage. It just happened that Mikoto had gone into labor and was currently at the hospital giving birth. So it was that the Uchiha boy and the Namikaze-Uzumaki girl were playing a game of "catch-me-if-you-can". By some stroke of fate, Takeshi had ditched Danzo and all of the other Root members and was now secretly watching his twin and this small girl child play. Meanwhile, Itachi had taken Kakashi's presence as a training opportunity and had asked the older boy to spar with him, while poor Amaya just wanted them to pay attention to her. As the boys continued with their 'training', Amaya fell and cut herself on a stray kunai from the boys' mini-combat. She gave out a high-pitched wail of pain, having only turned three a few months previously, which brought Rin and Kakashi running. Itachi was instantly worried and felt guilty for ignoring her, so he went to Amaya as well. Rin was examining the wound, which was fairly deep and two inches long, on the small girl's right wrist. Kakashi was mumbling on about how Minato-sensei was gonna kill them while Rin was trying desperately to stop the bleeding and mend the deep gash.

"Here, let me do it!" Takeshi said, dropping from the tree he been hiding in and taking the girl's wrist in his hands: Itachi, Rin, and Kakashi were startled but wisely made no comment. Silvery-blue chakra seeped from his hands into the wound, healing it in seconds. Just then, a man wearing the Uchiha crest appeared. After catching his breath, the man spoke, "Bring Itachi to the hospital; bring the girl and the other boy if you have to. A new Uchiha has just been born!" Kakashi and Rin exchanged looks and, while Rin carried Amaya, they shepherded the two boys in the direction of the hospital as quickly as they could. As they arrived in the hospital's main lobby, Fugaku was waiting and scowled at Takeshi.

"Aren't you supposed to be training, boy?" Takeshi looked his father straight in the eye and shrugged, as if in great boredom. Since everyone there looked confused, Takeshi sighed and explained.

"I have mastered all of my assignments for the week so I decided to observe Itachi-kun, sir." Was all he said which made Fugaku start: Takeshi was actually interested in Itachi's progress? Well, that was a first…no one had been able to actually hold the boy's attention for more than a moment since Orochimaru. "I think he will do very well in Ninja Academy, sir. We were told to come because a new Uchiha was born: does that mean that Mikoto-sama has had her baby, Fugaku-sama?"

Takeshi had to remember to use formalities with his parents' names, as he was not allowed to let on to the fact that he was Itachi's older twin. He was allowed to admit that he was of Uchiha heritage, but not that he was Fugaku and Mikoto's son. He hated it, but he would rather put up with calling them 'sir' or 'ma'am' than not being able to see them at all, which Fugaku had threatened if he did not "behave according to your status as a true prodigy of this village." After all, he was considered a child genius by many of the hidden ninja villages, not just among his clan.

"Yes, Itachi-kun has a little brother." It was one of the Uchiha nurses who said this, but Fugaku did not seem to mind. The head of the Uchiha family simply took Itachi's hand and led the group up to the nursery, where the newborn Uchiha was being weighed, measured, and having his first physical exam. Takeshi watched and, though he kept his face blank, he was very proud as he watched his new brother test out a powerful set of lungs: even at five, he knew that the baby couldn't have much wrong with him if he was crying like that. Smiling, he quickly bounded back downstairs and returned ten minutes later, easily finding Mikoto's room, with a large vase of roses and lilies. Fugaku allowed him to take them in by himself, giving his son a chance to visit his mother alone. As he entered, he noticed the smell he'd come to associate with newborns of all kinds and saw that while he was downstairs, the nurses had returned his new brother to his mother. Smiling, but just a little, the five year old proudly displayed the vase of flowers he'd brought.

"Thank you, Takeshi: they're beautiful! Would you like to see Sasuke?" Mikoto was obviously tired, but she was very pleased…. Takeshi gave his mother a wide smile as he set the flowers on a table near the bed. He then cautiously used a chair to allow him to be on the same level as his mother's bed. He looked down at the baby, all pink and soft helplessness with a thick patch of black hair. Takeshi beamed at his mother; he started when she held the baby out to him, though, obviously expecting him to hold this fragile little thing.

"Okasan, I don't want to! He's so small….I'm afraid I might accidentally hurt him or drop him or….or worse!" Mikoto smiled and assured him that though babies were small and fragile, they were quite resilient. She told him that she also knew that he wouldn't hurt Sasuke: he was too mature and far too careful. After giving his mother a dubious look, the boy took his baby brother with extreme delicacy. The baby made a small sound and Takeshi had a brief moment of panic before little Sasuke latched onto a handful of his shirt and went right back to sleep. Mikoto covertly took a picture of her oldest and youngest, since it was far too cute to resist capturing on film. Takeshi noticed, however, and glared while stating he had better get a copy of any pictures she took of him with Sasuke. They had done this all before whenever she'd secretly taken pictures of him and Itachi, so Mikoto just smiled.

"Okasan, I have to tell you something…will you promise not to tell anyone?" Mikoto, surprised at first, nodded and waited patiently for Takeshi to continue. "No matter what I turn into, I will always be your son…I'll look after my brothers if something happens to you and Father. I swear that I will make the Uchiha clan proud to call me family! I'm gonna surpass everyone! Mother, please watch me as I make everyone acknowledge my heritage!" Takeshi had a strange look in his eyes and an eerie air around him: Sasuke whimpered, indicating that he was hungry and quite possibly disturbed, just as his mother was, by Takeshi's odd change.

After giving his brother back to their mother, Takeshi left the room and said goodbye to Itachi and his father. He then offered to take the now sleeping Amaya home, since Rin and Kakashi probably wanted to get back to their normal duties. The two older ninja hesitated before remembering something their sensei had told them a few weeks previously….

…

"_**Don't worry about trusting Takeshi-kun; that boy is already on the level of an ANBU Black Ops. Leader and since he hasn't got any family unless you count the Hokage and Sannin, he's become a bit protective of mine." Minato grinned that silly grin of his as he spoke. "Plus, he's strong enough to beat many of the Chûnin in the village."**_

"_**Is he really that strong, Minato-sensei?" Rin asked while Kakashi simply gave a disbelieving snort.**_

"_**No five-year-old is as strong as a Chûnin, Rin. It's just not plausible!" Kakashi rolled his eyes as he spoke.**_

"_**Ah, maybe not plausible Kakashi, but it IS possible! Takeshi-kun just happens to be an exception to the general rules." Minato laughed as he ruffled Kakashi's hair. "He's actually similar to you, Kakashi-kun: an exception to the rules of what youngsters should be able to do and what they can REALLY do!"**_

_**Kakashi had grumbled and laughed sarcastically while Rin and Minato's laughter escalated nearly out of control….**_

…

Kakashi sighed and Rin handed Amaya over to Takeshi with a soft smile. "Now be sure you take her straight back to Kushina-san!" Rin said, wagging a stern finger under Takeshi's nose. The boy nodded and quickly left while Itachi and his father were in with Mikoto and the baby: if Fugaku didn't see it, he couldn't yell about it.

"It's not like I have anywhere else to go, Rin-chan…." Takeshi said a bit crossly as he left, carrying the sleeping little girl. As Takeshi made his way to Amaya's house, he thought how lucky she was to have parents that didn't care what people thought about them. After all, her mother was from the Whirlpool and her dad was now the prime candidate for the Fourth Hokage. Lots of people thought that Minato should've married someone from Konoha instead but it didn't seem to bother them. His family, on the other hand, was all about its reputation and keeping up good appearances. If you were an Uchiha, you HAD to live up to expectations: Uchihas were the best, no matter what. If you weren't the best at what you did, then you didn't deserve to be called an Uchiha. As a result, it was ironic to him that even though he was the only kid his age that was an established shinobi, even if he hadn't even officially graduated from the Academy yet, he was not allowed to use the Uchiha name. He knew that on his birthday, the Hokage had arranged for him to 'graduate' from the Academy, but he had not gone to the ceremonies. His reasons were simple: he was despised and nobody wanted him there, even ignoring that he would have gotten bored after five minutes. He was also aware that he was to partake in the first Chûnin exam following his graduation: no one doubted that he would be promoted to Chûnin before the age of six, even if they preferred to ignore his existence. For despite only being five-years-old, he had successfully completed thirty D-rank, twelve C-rank, eight B-rank, two A-rank, and two S-rank missions. It was true that, on the A-rank and S-ranks, he had required back-up, but in the end he was the one to actually complete the missions. Even taking all of this into account, he was denied the one thing he wanted: his place as an Uchiha…his family. That was what stung, what hurt, the most…the fact that his own family denied him even in light of his obvious skill and vast advancements.

From the day he was born, the council had wanted to kill him because he was too powerful: the chakra level he held was impossible for a normal human and was quite similar to a bijuu, he knew. The Third Hokage had stood up for him, saying that even though what they said was true, he was still only an infant and could be trained to control his powers and use them to protect the village. Regardless of what anyone said, the advisors outnumbered the Hokage and had a law passed: no one was to refer to him as an Uchiha and he was to be raised away from his family. None of the villagers were to ever tell Itachi or Sasuke that they had a brother who had been removed because of his gifts: all of the adults knew of his parentage, but it was to be forgotten as if he'd never been born. He was an outcast, allowed to stay only because the Hokage ordered it, even as he was totally ostracized by the villagers and his family. Only his mother was kind to him, and that was only when there was nobody to observe them. On very rare occasions, his father would give him a word of praise or perhaps a look of approval. He cherished those stolen moments of pride, acknowledgement, love, and affection…stolen moments of happiness with the mother and father who could not treat him as their own. The entire village treated him like some form of nasty parasite or something unpleasant that was tolerated only because the powers that be insisted on it. Not that Takeshi really minded…sometimes it was nice to have people leave you alone, even if it was because they thought you weren't trustworthy or a monster.

Reaching Amaya's house, Takeshi knocked on the door as best he could without dropping the girl he was carrying piggy-back style. As the door opened, he simply walked in, as the wind was starting to pick up and give the air an unpleasant chill. Without a word, he carried Amaya over to the couch and somehow maneuvered so that he was able to lay her down without waking her. Only then did he notice Jiraiya and Minato sitting at the table. This led him to the conclusion that Kushina had to have been the one to let him in. A moment later and his theory was confirmed as Kushina appeared in the doorway to the kitchen: Takeshi had just come through there. He politely declined when he was invited to stay for dinner. "I'm sorry, but Sensei is probably looking for me and he hates it when I'm late. Thank you for the invitation, though." Having said this, Takeshi promptly vanished in a small cloud of smoke…he was not seen in the village again for three months. When he did reappear, it was under the name Kurai Rokue: Takeshi Uchiha had never formally existed, after all…he had just been a boy named Takeshi, with no family and no last name.

~October 1st, year of the Kyuubi attack~

"Higher, Daddy, higher!" The soft and happy sound of Amaya Namikaze's young voice drifted through Hokage Tower and Jiraiya smiled as he made his way to the young Hokage's office with the Third. Kushina was taking a well-deserved nap, leaving the young Hokage alone with the task of watching his daughter AND performing his duties as Hokage, which currently included paperwork galore. As the pair opened the door, they were greeted by a sight that could only be described as adorable: Minato Namikaze, the Fourth, was tossing his daughter carefully above his head, causing her to giggle with delight. The three year old had seen less and less of her father since his recent appointment as Hokage, and was taking full advantage of spending the day in his office.

"Ah, Amaya, Daddy's arms are getting tired! You're getting to be a bit too big for this! Soon, Daddy won't be able to do it at all!" Minato laughed as he caught his daughter and rested her against one hip. Little Amaya looked hurt by the idea of her father not being strong enough to toss her as many times as she wished.

"But Daddy's the strongest shinobi in the village…and I'm not that heavy!" Amaya protested as she snuggled against her father's chest, happily tucking her head under his chin. Turning and strolling over to his desk, Minato smiled sheepishly at Jiraiya and the Third, who were both suppressing their laughter at the father and daughter. Amaya, ever the unrepentant little girl, gave a squeal of delight upon sighting Jiraiya and sprang from her father's arms, running to greet the Toad Sannin and the Third, both of whom she thought of as family. "Jiraiya-jiisan, Hiouji!" Jiraiya couldn't resist her and knelt down to catch the beautiful little girl in a hug, spinning her around. Neither man had been able to deny her when she'd begun calling them 'Grandpa Jiraiya' and 'Great-grandfather', respectively. It seemed that no-one in the village could deny the Fourth's daughter when she was always so damned _adorable_.

"Hey, now…there's my Maya-chan!" Jiraiya laughed as he set the girl down, kneeling so he could look her in the eyes. Slowly, he pulled a small velveteen pouch out of his pocket. "Now, it's really early, but I brought you a birthday present!" All of the men smiled as the girl patiently waited while Jiraiya opened the pouch and removed a carefully wrapped item no larger than a small box for a necklace. Removing the paper from the parcel, he first extracted a black leather cord, set to adjust easily to fit the girl loosely or tightly as she choose, even when she reached adulthood. For now, even at its tightest, the cord would always be loose on the girl. But the true gift was made obvious as Jiraiya finally revealed the pendant that was hanging from the cord: it was an intricately carved jade frog. The frog was mostly green in color but held traces of white, brownish-yellow, and the barest hint of black jade within it, lending a natural pattern to its appearance as a frog. Amaya was thrilled and immediately began begging Jiraiya to put it on for her. The Sannin did as asked and laughed with Minato and the Third when she exclaimed that she'd never take it off, no matter what. "I just bet that you won't!" Jiraiya affectionately ruffled the girl's beautiful hair as he rose to his feet, her tiny hand sliding contently into his as she pulled him over to her father's desk.

"What brings the two of you in here on such a lovely day?" Minato asked easily as his three-year-old scrambled back into his lap, effectively ending the attempt he'd begun to make at doing some paperwork.

"Well, _**I**_ came to abduct you and that charming little imp presiding over all of Konoha from her position in your heart, Hokage-sama." Minato made to deny the implication but Jiraiya waved him off, chuckling good-humouredly. "As for Sarutobi-sensei, I believe he has an offer for you." Jiraiya laughed as Amaya stuck her tongue out at a woman who came in bringing another mountain of paperwork for the Fourth's attention, serving to reinforce the nickname he'd just applied: imp. "Now, Maya-chan...stop that. The nice lady is only doing her job!" He teased as the woman looked confused as to how to respond: the child was spoiled and rude, yet she could not object because the girl was the Fourth's daughter…saying anything to the child that displeased the father could equal HUGE trouble for all involved. Unable to do anything or make a decision, the woman simply turned and left in a bit of a private huff.

"Oh? What kind of an offer, Sarutobi-sama?" Minato asked with divided attention: Amaya had vacated his lap in interest of the kitten that the Uchiha family had given to her for her birthday. Now playing with the Siamese-tabby cross, she was coming perilously close to a large and unsteady pile of very heavy scrolls and other odd items. The Third chuckled and as Jiraiya tensed, ready to snatch Amaya out of harm's way should she unbalance the already precariously tipped stack, he proposed to fill in for Minato for the day: Minato was momentarily stunned but recovered in record speed to protest.

"I will remain here and take care of all this tedious paperwork; take the opportunity to go out among the villagers and spend time with Amaya-chan. Jiraiya will go with you and I will have an ANBU squad guarding Kushina, with Kakashi at point. When she wakes up she can join you, as long as she's feeling up to it." Sarutobi chuckled as Minato continued to make feeble protests before stopping and moving so quickly that he seemed to fly. Pulling Amaya and the kitten away, he gently cautioned the child against such actions while Jiraiya caught the tumbling pile of scrolls and replaced them. Looking thoroughly harassed, Minato gave a defeated sigh and agreed: there was no hope of getting any work done when you had an irrepressible and mischievous three-year-old locked in with you, anyways.

~Forty-five minutes later~

Amaya was happily humming as she got to ride around the village on her father's shoulders: Minato couldn't help but smile at his daughter and could only hope his son, due to be born in October, would be just as happy of a child. He could only pray, however, that his children wouldn't be the death of each other -or him, for that matter- when they got older… He knew that most siblings had rivalries and that some could be particularly violent. Oblivious to Minato's thoughts, Jiraiya was going on about his novel, a copy of which he'd given to his former student but which had not yet been opened, and keeping Amaya enthralled with some story or other about his many adventures. God, how the girl adored the old pervert. It didn't matter to her that he was a legendary Sannin or that he was one of the biggest perverts Konoha had to offer; no, all little Amaya cared about was that he was funny and always made her laugh. That he gave big hugs and called her his 'hime'…his little princess. Tsunade had once joked that if she was a princess, it was the princess of toads since both Jiraiya and Minato had signed blood contracts with the toads and eventually Amaya would be given the chance to do so as well. As they approached the lake by the Academy, they were hailed by several of the students and a few families that were picnicking at nearby tables: the students had been dismissed for lunch and would resume classes in an hour. Mixed in among the families that had come to eat with their children at the Academy was the Uchiha clan's head family: Fugaku and Mikoto with five-year-old Itachi and one & a half-month-old Sasuke. As usual, nearly everyone wanted to say 'hello' to the recently appointed Fourth and Minato was not one to say no; this was because everyone was important to Minato, each person worth more than their weight in gold.

After several minutes of these polite greetings and various bits of small-talk, Amaya whispered in her father's ear, announcing that she was bored and wanted to go play with Itachi, Iruka, and a few other boys: she was already a tomboy and all of the boys were older than her. Itachi was her elder by two years, Iruka by eleven, and Hatori, her cousin through Kushina, by nine years…these were only three of the roughly seven boys that made up the small band Amaya had assembled about herself as playmates and protective 'brother' figures. The girls wanted little to do with her because she liked to get absolutely filthy and didn't care about the things that made other girls scream, like bugs or mice. Exchanging an understanding look with Jiraiya, Minato let his daughter down and watched as she instantly was at Mikoto's side, dotting on baby Sasuke: she couldn't wait for her own baby brother to arrive and made it blatantly obvious. Jiraiya sighed and politely followed after the group of miniature shinobi and one fire-gold haired princess as they began a game of tag. Soon other students from the Academy were joining out of interest as Amaya performed a flawless henge, becoming Itachi: it would appear that she was spending far to much time around her father, Jiraiya, Itachi and other strong ninja or prodigies…she was beginning to pick up things that no child her age should be able to do, at least not with her level of accuracy and success. After giggling madly and earning a smile from her father, Amaya let the henge fade and concentrated on keeping up with the bigger and stronger boys.

"Iru! Tori! Wait for me!" She was running after Iruka and Hatori as they headed back towards the Academy, though both had long since graduated and become genin; they, with Kakashi, were like older brothers to her and often babysat her for Minato and Kushina along with Tsuchino, a girl three years older than Itachi that had been placed on a genin team with Hatori and Iruka. Itachi never once left Amaya's side as she tried to keep pace with the big kids and Tsuchino actually scolded the boys for ignoring her before producing two sticks of dango from her lunch: dango was not only Amaya's favorite treat, but Itachi's as well.

"You two are such cretins, ignoring Amaya-hime like that!" Hatori instantly tried to defend himself while Iruka just hung his head, shamefaced. "Oh, stuff it Hatori! Itachi-kun is the only one who pays any attention to her without being told to! Even Iruka ignores her most of the time! Kakashi-senpai is too busy to play with her anymore and none of the other kids will because they don't want to risk getting Yondaime-sama or Kushina-sama mad for hurting her feelings!" Tsuchino was quite a mother-hen and had a lethally short-fused temper. "There aren't any kids her age; we're all older than her unless you count the babies! The kid nearest her in age is Neji-kun and he's only one!"

"Stop it Tsuchino." Came a soft voice and all of the youngsters started as a boy, no older than five and bearing a striking resemblance to Itachi but without the worry-lines that Fugaku had passed to his son, stood covering Amaya's ears. The little girl was silently crying and had huddled between this boy and Itachi, clinging to both. "You're scaring her by yelling at them; she is only three." Tsuchino looked horrible abashed and quickly apologized: being Hatori's neighbor, she knew that the Fourth used to live on the other side of the street from Hatori and had seen this boy come and go many times. She'd once asked Kushina-sama about it and had been told that he was a very skilled shinobi, even as young as he was, and was assigned to protect Amaya, constantly tailing the child and whomever she might be with. He must be very mad to have blown his cover to scold her.

"Ah, Takeshi-kun!" Minato said as he spotted the boy, coming to collect his daughter with Mikoto doing likewise for Itachi. Mikoto froze as she saw the boy but quickly recovered, telling Itachi it was time to go home: Itachi didn't budge, but remained obstinately at Amaya's side while trying to comfort the younger girl. The boy looked up at Minato, completely impassive, and Minato felt his heart wrench for the boy he had known. Empty voids stared at him where emotion and conscious thought had once been, where maturity and an unbendable will of fire had lived but had somehow vanished. This was not Takeshi…this was an empty shell that had once been Takeshi, but no longer: Root had finally cracked him completely, breaking him to Danzo's will. Vaguely, he wondered what the old war hawk had done to the boy but quickly decided to find out after getting him and Amaya away from the current situation. "I see…come with me, shinobi. We have much to discuss at another location." He watched, horrified as his tone and authority as Hokage made the boy responsive when a friendly call of his name had not. What in all the levels of Hell had Root done to the lad…?


	2. Divided We Fall

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Promises to Keep, Chapter Two: Divided We Fall

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Yondaime was not the only one to have begun to notice differences in the boy he'd known only as Takeshi: some of the villagers noticed the change in the boy's appearance and demeanor as well. The boy was even more withdrawn, quiet, and downright cold than ever before…he was now the embodiment of a perfect assassin. After all, who would expect a mere child to be capable of ruthless and calculated murder? Clearly, anyone who had any sense or shinobi training would, as well as anyone of the Uchiha clan. Unfortunately, the majority of the world's population saw Kurai as naught but a reticent, mature, and shy little boy. Kurai himself was indeed far more withdrawn and anti-social, but it was a means of self-inflicted isolation, protection for himself and others, and atonement. In his young -yet not entirely wrong- opinion, others would not be in danger from him if he did not allow others to get close to him in the first place. So, he simply ignored the whispers and the pointing fingers as he made his way to the Hokage tower with Yondaime and Jiraiya, who was carrying Amaya. What did they know of his life anyway? Nothing, that's what they knew, and he was intending to keep it that way. He only considered six people to be worthy of his respect: Sandaime-sama, Yondaime-sama, Kushina-sama, little Amaya-hime, Jiraiya-sama, and Tsunade-hime: he had picked up Orochimaru's name for the lady Sannin but nobody seemed to mind.

When the group reached their destination, Kurai was promptly given a wide berth by the ANBU guarding the building. The young Uchiha gave them a contemptuous look and a low threatening growl when one offered to remove Amaya-hime from Jiraiya-sama's care. Minato touched his shoulder and he felt his hair settle from it's slightly raised position: whenever his hair began to stand on end, it was the human equivalent of him raising his hackles in the same snarl that was positively bone-chilling in his bijuu forms. Allowing his chakra to settle, the killing intent fading away, he watched as two of the ANBU, female from their scent, took Amaya-hime away to presumably return her to Kushina-sama: Yondaime-sama had asked him to protect his family should anything ever happen to him and he intended to fulfill the only life-long order the man had ever given him even if the man was still breathing and as such, the mission had not been initiated. Jiraiya was casting him a serious and penetrating look; he hadn't realized precisely what Minato had meant when he'd said the boy was different until just now. Now, he could see how frightening and taciturn the child had become: it was like all of his world centered around following orders and his training from Root, which was more than likely all he was allowed to have in his world to start with.

They went up towards the Hokage's office and as they approached, Jiraiya cast another glance at Kurai: something was wrong with the boy…he just wasn't sure what. Pausing outside when they heard muffled and distorted conversation through the door, edged with anger and impatience, the group waited just long enough to be certain that the Sandaime's voice was in fact among them before knocking loudly on the door. Silence fell inside the room and the door was opened a moment later by someone wearing an ANBU mask and black hooded-cloak. They all knew better than to greet Kakashi, since the whole point of the ANBU mask and cloak were to keep the identities of ANBU operatives secret, so Kurai nodded and continued following Yondaime over to the Hokage's desk instead. He could tell that nearly all of the grown-ups were shocked by the sudden appearance of, to them at least, a mere five-year-old among such company. Hizuren Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage, was pleasantly surprised to see the group and beckoned them to come and stand beside him with a wide smile. "Yes! We were just discussing the three of you! As I said, Jiraiya was my student and he trained Minato here. As you know, Minato is the Yondaime Hokage. He was handling some very important business that took him out of the office. Now my good ambassadors, please let us retire for the evening: I'm sure we could all use some time to cool off and rest. You can meet with the Yondaime in the morning, I'm sure." The group of foreign ninja mumbled in irritation but followed Sandaime's suggestion, being led out of Hokage tower by native shinobi.

"Trouble, sensei?" Jiraiya asked of Sandaime, who grimaced. His feelings seemed to be mirrored by Minato, who was rubbing his temples in annoyance.

"They were not scheduled to arrive for another two weeks!" Minato moaned as he pulled a hand through his hair. "Argh!" He took a deep breath and sighed, returning his attention to Kurai. "Sarutobi-sama, do you know what Danzo does to his Root candidates? Something is wrong with the way Takeshi-kun is acting…I don't like it." Before the Third could answer, Kurai slid down the wall he'd been leaning on…leaving a dark smear of blood in his wake. The adults reacted instantly and all of them noticed the small trail of blood that he'd been leaving: it probably went all the way back to the Academy and had been getting worse the farther they walked. Carefully pulling the boy's clothes away so that they could examine him, the men balked at his injuries. He was a total mess: lacerations of all sizes and depths, broken bones protruding from underneath the skin, and old scars littered the child's torso and a few decorated his arms.

"We need to find Tsunade." Was the only thing all three men could think to say.

~Several hours later, the Namikaze Residence within Hokage Tower~

Tsunade had been tracked down by Jiraiya at the request of the Third and Fourth Hokages: when the situation was explained, she had agreed to come and examine Kurai herself, since she was already known as Konoha's best medic, and was consequently horrified at what she found. The five-year-old had dozens upon dozens of half-healed injuries and nearly a dozen vicious scars that varied in size. None of the injuries or scars were more than a year old and some, Tsunade realized with growing rage at Root, could only have been caused by inappropriate actions on the organization's part. These included injuries that were obviously sexual, whether results of Danzo's orders or otherwise did not matter, and others that had simply been neglected to the point of serious infection. Many of these same injuries were less than a month old, which completely unnerved Minato even as it infuriated Kushina. The boy just sat through it all, motionless and frighteningly silent, as Tsunade tended to his many injuries… The adults were only able to rationalize the boy's total lack of responsiveness as 'in so much pain that your body stops registering anything: pain-numbed.' Kurai was indeed far beyond reacting to the pain; it was true that he was in excruciating pain, but he was able to ignore it because he'd gotten used to it. Pain was as natural to him as breathing, even though that didn't make it hurt any less.

Kushina and Minato were in the other room with Jiraiya and the Third: Danzo had been informed of Kurai's condition, as he was head of the Root ANBU. Though they didn't know that Kurai was actually a trained and active Root ANBU, the group deduced that Danzo would certainly know who the boy's parents were: Sandaime had tried to warn them off calling Danzo, but Minato insisted. If only they'd known how very difficult things were about to become…. Kushina, very close to the end of her second pregnancy, was furious and currently fuming about how she wanted the responsible parties to have their bodies mutilated in explicit detail. Amaya was playing in the kitchen with Iruka; the three-year-old was oblivious to her parents' anger as long as Iruka continued to fold origami cranes for her. Jiraiya was shaking his head in a silent rage while the Third could only say how terribly mistaken he'd been about what was best for the boy. Minato was trying to calm Kushina, out of fear that she'd send herself into labor at the rate she was going, despite the fact that she wasn't far from her due date as it was. As if on cue, a loud knock resounded through the Hokage's residence and Jiraiya went to answer it while Minato coaxed his wife into a chair. Moments later, Jiraiya returned with Danzo, leading a female Root ANBU. Amaya's attention was instantly diverted from poor Iruka, though the genin tried to recapture it, as she saw the ANBU.

"Danzo-taichou…" The sudden title from Kurai's slightly weakened and strained voice caused just about everyone's heads to whip around to stare at him, especially those who knew what Root did to its members. Danzo approached the lad and looked down at him with the barest of concern in his expression.

"How severe are his injuries?" Danzo asked of Tsunade, concerned about the welfare of his most prized Root ANBU. Tsunade made a quick comment that she refused to discuss it as long as the other children were present. Almost instantly, Kushina conceded to take them into the playroom, though it was obvious that she did not really want to miss this discussion. Once Kushina had taken Amaya and Iruka away, Minato suggested that they all take seats in the sitting room. Once there, the female Root ANBU attempted to sit Kurai in her lap, but he would have none of it and retreated to sit beside the Third. All of the adults watched him as he did so, his movements the ones of someone who has been critically injured before and knows how to least agitate the wounds. Tsunade and Jiraiya both leveled solid death glares at Danzo and the female Root: judging from their reactions to the boy, they'd expected his injuries and were unfazed by them. Beginning to lose patience, Danzo repeated his question. "How severe are his injuries?" Still glaring murderously, Tsunade gave a sigh that bore all of her anger and concern for the boy within it.

"By all normal standards, he shouldn't have even made it back here. He has been hit with every type of attack: taijutsu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu…and other kinds I don't want to think about any more." Tsunade looked very uncomfortable at this point, but continued when the others looked expectantly at her. Kurai was now lying with his head on a pillow beside the Third: he was awake, but just barely so. "He has also been sexually assaulted, but I can't say any more than that. To sum it up, I'm amazed the boy can still maintain his composure, much less move, without showing any more signs of pain then he is. He is very brave and strong to be doing what he is doing right now, considering that a normal child would be dead."

"That is precisely the point! He is not a normal child; he is an Uchiha and a world-class prodigy!" The female Root said a little defensively: she had been assigned to act as the boy's mother figure and was actually growing fond of him. Danzo gave her a look that promised retribution for her outburst and she fell deathly silent, her eyes glued to the floor.

"So, he is Fugaku and Mikoto's firstborn, is he not?" Minato asked while silently demanding an answer, attempting to avoid offending anyone. Danzo just scowled viciously, but Sandaime told him that yes, Kurai was their son: he went so far as to state that he was actually Itachi's elder fraternal twin. "May I inquire as to why he is so badly injured?" Minato knew he was pressing his luck with Danzo, but he NEEDED to know.

"I am inclined to say, respectfully, that it is not your business Lord Hokage." Danzo finally said coldly. Turning away, Danzo addressed the Root member. "Go and fetch my sealing scrolls." He then spoke to Kurai. "Boy, come with me now: we must continue with your training and missions. We will find a way to seal away the consciousness of the beast and you can fulfill your purpose to this village." This single comment made everything fall into place for the others: Kurai bore no seals to bind a bijuu to him, and yet he was a Jinchuuriki. No, more than a Jinchuuriki…he was virtually a human bijuu.

"You dehumanize him because he holds the Rokubi? What kind of reason is that?" Came from an outraged Jiraiya, who was restrained by a calming hand on his arm. Jiraiya looked at the Third in bewilderment.

"Restrain your temper, Jiraiya: it falls on deaf ears. Words are wasted on those who refuse to listen, after all." Sarutobi said calmly. He now turned his attention to Kurai, who was half-conscious and grossly disconcerted. He knew that Danzo had spoken to him, but the words were unintelligible to him. He wanted to find a soft and warm place, curl up, and sleep for days…his "other" kept telling him that if he slept for six days, he would be completely healed when he awoke. This made every fiber of his being want to sleep and do nothing else until the pain -he was in so much pain- went away. It was his "other" that made a swift and cold decision to "speak" with Danzo.

"_**Kurai is no mere boy! He is a magnificent child…so intelligent and extremely gifted, even among the Uchiha lineage. You…Danzo, is it? You should be proud to have trained such a child! You do not deserve him and I will not allow him to return to your neglectful care."**_ Came the silken yet venom-laced voice of the Rokubi's consciousness. He had no real name and so, he was known simply as Rokubi to Kurai…and to those he had contact with through the boy._** "You have experimented on him, trained him until his bones snapped from exertion, and bled him until he collapsed. This child has done everything in his power to please his family, to earn the right to use his family's name: yet nobody acknowledges his heritage…no one accepts him as a human being. He is less than an animal to this village, with few exceptions. Many have tried to kill him and a few would have succeeded had they not been killed by me."**_

Everyone was shocked, but none of them spoke: Danzo left, with his small group of Root ANBU in tow. Later that night, Kushina smiled as she watched Kurai when he piled up a massive bed of pillows, covered it with a thick blanket, and curled up in a ball beneath a second blanket on top of said pile. Little Amaya had long since curled up in her own bed and fallen asleep, so Kurai had simply created his little nest of pillows and blankets beside Amaya's bed. Neither Minato nor Kushina feared any intruders as long as Kurai would be staying with them. They both knew that the boy would die to protect Amaya and since he was the Rokubi incarnate, he was more than capable of killing almost any enemy foolish enough to try him.

~Early morning, October 10th~

Kurai knew the routine, since he already had a baby brother, and found it interesting to watch the Fourth as the young Hokage panicked his way through gathering things for the hospital. Helpfully, the boy reminded him that his pajama pants were probably not proper attire…and laughed when Minato hastily refrained from cursing profusely. Rin, by some stroke of luck, was free and offered to watch Amaya and Kurai for Minato while he and Kushina were at the hospital. She promised that she would bring them by to see the baby later, once he had been born of course. And so it was that Amaya's parents kissed her and headed off to the hospital before the girl even awoke for the morning.

Kurai just smiled and gingerly sat down beside Amaya's bed to study his ninja scrolls until she awoke. Then, he would play with her and probably fold origami for her…she loved cranes for some reason unknown to him. However, he did not mind making them if it meant she was happy: he loved to make her happy, regardless of loss of dignity or personal well-being on his behalf. He was mostly, but not entirely, recovered from his long list of minor and severe injuries. This meant he was still careful in everything he did. The boy, for all his five years, was as wise as any Chûnin and knew that re-opening wounds was just as painful as not letting them heal to start with. It was an added bonus that the boy had full access to the split personality the Rokubi's consciousness formed within him. This meant a vast wealth of knowledge that the Rokubi had amassed during his lifetime…and the Rokubi was quite old indeed. Of course, he didn't understand everything the Rokubi told him, but it was still helpful to have a powerful and ancient demon keeping a running commentary inside your head: most of what the bijuu said was as good as gibberish to the boy when it came to value, but some of it was the best advice he'd ever had. One example was when the Rokubi had told him to value his brothers and 'the little fire-gold kit', as he called Amaya, above all others. Rokubi had said that 'A day will come that you will value you her because others do. There may even come a day when you value her because she is precious not just to your brothers, but because she is precious to you. Members of the opposite gender are strange in that way: you never expect to need them, but one day you find you can't live without them.' Kurai was slowly starting to think that, despite the cryptic and lofty wording, the Rokubi's words were the wisest he'd ever heard.

By mid-afternoon, he had made nearly four hundred cranes for Amaya: no two were identical and they were all sorts of colors, while some moved and some didn't…not that she cared, really. You see, Amaya loved them all regardless because he had made them and he reminded her of her Tachi. She didn't care that she already had over five hundred paper cranes lining several walls' and cabinets' worth of shelves. Finally, Kurai told her that he couldn't make her anymore cranes today. Amaya pouted for a mere five minutes before deciding that Kurai needed someone to comb his hair, which he kept long and pulled casually back. Kurai sighed but allowed the three-year-old to comb and braid his hair, which reached his lower back when left unchecked. He supposed that he was spoiling her by letting her have her way all the time…but since he was the only one that did it, what real harm could it do? Besides, he was only two years or so her elder…who cared if he was willing to let her braid his hair? It's not like it was any of their business anyway. His "other" snorted and decided that he would have many things to teach Kurai in seven years or so…. Once they both hit puberty, then maybe his opinion of the pretty little girl cub would change. But then, perhaps it would merely be reinforced instead; to the mind of the Rokubi, Kurai had already picked out what he saw as an ideal mate. Mind, he was immensely older than Kurai and, as such, saw things in a vastly different perspective. So, the six-tailed demon silently watched…and waited.

Amaya adored Kurai and Kurai found her to be irresistibly cute: he was drawn to her because she was somehow…precious to him. He thought of her as the sister he'd never had, which made her someone to protect at all costs. Plus, Yondaime-sama trusted him to watch over her once he was old enough; Kurai took this assignment, though not yet official, straight to the depths of his heart and soul. At only five-years-old, he had decided that he would die for her without hesitation, should the occasion call for it. By dinner time, Rin had received word that Kushina had safely given birth to a healthy baby boy and the two youngsters were rounded up for the short trip to the hospital. They arrived to find that the baby was sound asleep in his mother's arms and Minato was just as nervous this time around, in Jiraiya's opinion, as he had been with Amaya.

Amaya got to hold her brother while he was sleeping and even began to sing the lullaby that her mother always sang for her to him. "Who's that coming through the forest? The birds and the bees sing, "My dearest…."" Kurai recognized the tune, with the Rokubi's help, and easily fell into sync with Amaya as he, too, began to sing for little Naruto. "The frogs near the pond sit calling, "My dearest, I love you!" The trees raise their leaves to greet you…. "Who needs the sun when you shine true?"…." Minato and Kushina could only watch, slightly entranced by the two older children as they were doting on the newborn. Rin had gone out to meet Kakashi and tell him about Naruto. Jiraiya had already been and gone, while Tsunade had sent flowers. After almost an hour, everyone was surprised when a ninja burst into the room with frightful news: Kyuubi was on the warpath and headed straight for Konoha.

After that, everything fell into chaos: people began to panic as soon as Minato ordered the evacuation. They ran to and fro, a mass of crazed fools as far as the Rokubi Incarnate cared. Minato turned to Kurai and made a special request however. "Kurai, I want you to take Amaya somewhere that she'll be safe, no matter what happens, do you understand? Take her to a place that **-you-** know is safe from Kyuubi! And Kushina and Naruto…take them to that place, too!" Just before he dashed off to join the battle, Minato kissed his wife and children, hanging one of his special kunai strung on a chain about his daughter's neck. Kurai nodded and something in him felt a pang of anxiety: he knew of the perfect place…but, surely it would be difficult for Kushina-sama to get there right after having a baby?

He shook the feeling off and swore to do exactly as Minato had asked. He would get Yondaime's small family to the safest place he knew. He would take them **-there-**…to that place where no one else could reach them: the place he'd found in a huge valley approximately twenty miles outside of the village. The place had the distinctive smell of a fox and, more importantly, the undeniable lingering aura of a bijuu. Kurai could recognize the after-presence of the bijuu because he was fused with one, body and soul, and had gained intimate, expansive knowledge as a bonus: this included how to identify this "aura". The boy was certain that, though the nine-tails had not been to the den they'd stumbled upon for quite a long time, it belonged to Kyuubi and no other. So what better hiding place could there be when the Kyuubi himself was attacking Konoha? Quite simply, there was none: even should the Kyuubi return to that den, they would smell like the Kyuubi by that time. With their human scent masked, they could easily hide within the expansive den until the Kyuubi left or fell asleep. :_But how will we keep Naruto-kun from crying…?_: Kurai couldn't help but worry about the smallest facts, vital though they were. The Rokubi part of his mind sighed and his voice calmly rumbled through Kurai's mind: even though they were in essence one being, the older and far more mature Rokubi half of the mind and soul had formed a second personality and would re-assimilate with the rest of the mind when Kurai was older.

It was this part of his mind that guided the boy outside and triggered the transformation of Kurai's body into a twenty-year-old version of the child. The Rokubi's consciousness then eased Kurai off to sleep within the confines of his mind and body before taking control of their shared body. Holding in a growl, he patiently waited as Kakashi and a few ANBU strapped a make-shift sling around his frame to carry the newborn Naruto across his back. Once the baby was secure, he lifted little Amaya into his arms: the girl had been given a sedative to make her sleep. He then turned to Kushina, who had refused to be carried by anyone; she was going to walk to whatever shelter he had in mind or she would not go at all. Unable to dissuade her, Rokubi gave a rumbling and annoyed growl from deep in his throat, which nonetheless sounded intimidating coming from a twenty-year-old human male, before taking the few long strides to bring him to Kushina's side. He was dressed in ANBU attire, with a Konoha hitae hanging around his neck like a collar: later in life, Kakashi would remember seeing the twenty-year-old form of the Rokubi Incarnate and marvel yet again at the resemblance between him and Itachi. Long hair was pulled back in a low ponytail and his aristocratic features were only accentuated by the light of the full moon, but he did not bear the worry-lines Itachi had inherited from Fugaku. Kushina whistled appreciatively as she looked him over: there was no denying that Kurai would be a lady-killer when he was older if this form was any indication. "Let us go Kushina-sama, preferably before I change my mind about this."

Kushina smiled and began to make their way towards the hiding place Rokubi had picked out, some twenty miles outside the village: he explained to Kushina that at some point she would have to be carried whether she liked it or not and Kushina gave in. Their path took the right through the battlefield and perilously close to Kyuubi himself: Rokubi could only hope they would go unnoticed. Unfortunately, they weren't: Kyuubi lashed out in their direction with one of his tails and Kushina instinctively generated a huge earthen hand, mirroring her own outstretched one, to shield her children and Kurai, who was carrying them. Distracted with her urge to protect her children, Kushina didn't see one of the other tails heading straight for her: it struck her and she was burned by the malevolent chakra as well as thrown a great distance by the force of the blow. Rokubi swore and spun his body around as quickly as he dared, releasing a large pulse of chakra to startle Kyuubi and was pleased when the diversion succeeded long enough for him to shift Amaya in his arms and catch her mother: Kushina had been knocked out. Minato was instantly beside him and, though surprised by his appearance, recognized him as the only person he could be. The two exchanged looks and a brief conversation ensued.

"Kyuubi's chakra will cause the wounds to worsen…there is nothing that can be done for her Yondaime."

"Kushina is going to die…? I see…you're the Rokubi's consciousness, aren't you? Tell me, how can I defeat Kyuubi."

"You cannot; Kyuubi has never been defeated, not even by another bijuu. The only option is to seal him into a Jinchuuriki."

"Which means into a newborn baby…Naruto is the only newborn in the village…besides, I couldn't ask that of another family! Using the jutsu will kill me… Tell them… Tell Amaya and Naruto…that I'm sorry. Tell them…"

"I will tell them the truth Yondaime: that their parents loved them and died to protect them and their village. That you did it only because their was no other way and this was for the best. I will tell them that neither of you ever wanted to leave them. I swear that I will tell them the entire truth one day, but not until they're ready…and for that, I must be fully assimilated with Kurai: they are all still children. When they are ready, all of them will learn the truth and Konoha shall feel their pain." Yondaime smiled before taking Naruto and vanishing. Rokubi knew what he had to do and shifted Amaya into the sling on his back while carrying Kushina in his arms as he took them to the safest place there was while Kyuubi was on his rampage.

~Several hours later~

Rokubi sensed it as the chakra of the Kyuubi vanished: Kyuubi had been sealed. By this time, Amaya had cried herself to sleep whilst in the protective arms of Rokubi's aged transformation of Kurai. Kushina had long since lost all sense of lucidity from the pain and weakness of recent childbirth and the stress and injuries she'd earned protecting her children: she was very close to death now. All Rokubi could do was try to make her as calm and comfortable as possible while shielding the children from the pain of her passing as much as he could. He knew that he would not be able to make the small female understand why her mother would not wake. On the other hand, it made him both slightly melancholy and marginally relieved that Kurai would immediately understand the situation.

"You're…the Rokubi, huh? So is this your real human body…or is that just a transformation jutsu that turned you into a…much older version of Kurai?" The Rokubi's head snapped up to look at Kushina in mild disbelief. She was on the very brink of death and yet she had regained her senses: she was speaking quite rationally. "Or could it be that you only imagined what Kurai would look like…and created a transformation to look that way?"

"I…am always present: the he is me and I am him. We have fused, body and soul…his mind is just too young to process all of my memories, knowledge, and feelings. So, my mind has remained separate for now. When he is old enough to accept me, we will completely assimilate and he will have a complete memory to match mine. Then, it will not matter if he is called Kurai, Takeshi, or Rokubi because he will truly be all of them. As for this form, it is a manifestation of my chakra that has altered his actual body with the aid of a transformation jutsu: Kurai will return to normal in a few days, completely unharmed and probably a bit more physically mature, though not by much." Kushina gave a faint smile at the words Rokubi spoke: it made sense that Kurai's real body would undergo minor alterations every time the Rokubi's consciousness aged him. So, even though he might only be a certain age, Kurai would look always proportionately older than he really was according to the number of times Rokubi had aged him. "Woman, Kushina is your name, correct?" Kushina gave the feeblest of nods, so the Rokubi continued. "You will not live much longer: you were already weak from the birthing but, more than that, you were injured by the Kyuubi directly."

"That…is NOT…comforting! If you were trying to make me feel better, then you're failing miserably! Oh, whatever: I don't care what happens to me! How are my babies?" Kushina had a temporary flare of her classic and famous temper, but was in too much pain for it to last long. The wound from Kyuubi was getting worse rather than even beginning to heal. The Rokubi knew she would die before the sun, which was just rising, could set. With a slightly heavy heart, he answered Kushina's question.

"It appears that I was able to remove Amaya from the line of danger in time, but…only time will tell if she was truly hurt or not. As for Naruto…I cannot say; he was with the Yondaime when last I saw him." Kushina seemed to understand: Rokubi had been faced with getting her and Amaya to safety on Minato's orders…he could not keep track of Minato and a newborn in the heat of battle and evacuation. "I do regret that I cannot tell you more, Kushina, but your son does live: I can feel him now that the Kyuubi has been sealed within him. As for the Yondaime…I imagine that even if he is still alive, he will not be so for much longer."

"I see…both of us will be dead before noon, huh? Fitting, I suppose." Kushina gave a wry and dry chuckle. "I am afraid I have to ask you for two things, Rokubi…you must promise to try and do them for me. You will do that, won't you?" Rokubi's consciousness stated that he would be obligated to do anything she asked of him: even a bijuu had honor, and he was a wolf…that made him ten-fold more honor-bound and loyal. He was also unable to tell lies without it nagging at him incessantly for the rest of his long life: Kushina laughed as he told her this, sarcastically saying that he was just lucky then. He snorted and told her to state her requests. "Straight to the point, huh? Okay…first, take me back to Konoha: I won't live to see it again but I want to be buried there with Minato. Second, look after my children for me and Minato: we won't be around to protect them and someone has to make sure they will be treated right. Swear?" Rokubi was mildly surprised by the first request, since he was unsure how she knew that she'd be dead in less than an hour: he knew because he could smell it. Her body was already starting to give off the unmistakable scent of the decomposition and rigor mortis associated with fresh corpses. The second didn't really surprise him…he would have kept an eye on them regardless because he was begrudgingly becoming attached to them.

"By my honor and position as the Rokubi, I swear to you that I will do what you have asked of me Kushina Uzumaki of Konoha, formerly of the Whirlpool Country." Kushina smiled weakly at him. "I will return you to Konoha and I will keep both eyes on your cubs, as often as I can spare them. You have my word and my blood oath that I will protect them from all who might harm them, for the time will come that Naruto will need me to teach him what it is to be a Jinchuuriki. And Amaya will need someone to protect her, as the heiress to not one, but two lost lineages. For these reasons, you have my solemn vow that I will fulfill your requests until death deprives me of my ability to do so." Kushina was crying as she laughed at him, but he understood and remained silent long after Kushina's heart had breath and her heart had ceased sustaining her life. Amaya was still asleep from the drugs she'd been given to make her rest for the evacuation, so Rokubi simply rigged a litter to pull behind him and lifted the child into his left arm, cradling her protectively against him as he began the short journey back to Konoha.

When they arrived back in Konoha, he took Kushina straight to the Hokage Tower, knowing that the Third would make the necessary arrangements and that Yondaime was already dead. He also knew that the Third and Danzo would probably have new assignments for him in light of the Yondaime and Kushina's deaths. Sure enough, as soon as he gave the report on what had happened, the Third told him that he would now be Naruto's sole caretaker until the boy's third birthday, at which time he would be put under the care of the Third himself. Until such time, Kurai was to be given a private apartment near to the Moritaka residence where he would take Amaya to be raised by her only living relatives, distant though they may be. The funeral for all of the fallen would be held that afternoon while the funeral for Kushina and Minato would be held at noon, which was three hours away. Rokubi nodded, saying that he understood: he would bring Amaya to her relatives and keep an eye on her from afar, remaining detached from her life and yet intimately involved at the same time. Kurai was going to give him hell for this when he was older, Rokubi was sure of it.

~At the funeral~

The whole village had come to pay respect to the fallen shinobi and civilians…the victims of Kyuubi's onslaught. Iruka was standing nearby, silent tears trailing down his cheeks, while Kakashi was farther down on the other side of the gathering: he was deep in self-blame that had he been a bit faster or smarter or stronger, then Rin and Yondaime need not have died. Countless others were mourning their lost loved ones and others still were there out of respect and grief for the loss of others even if they had not lost anyone. Rokubi's consciousness was still in control of his and Kurai's body and stood with Amaya next to him. One hand was keeping a firm and comforting hold on her right shoulder while Jiraiya did the same on her left shoulder: the Sannin was standing beside them with Tsunade just beyond him. Without warning, Amaya broke away from the strong hands that held her and ran over to the pictures of her mother and father. She began crying and calling for them, but all of the adults knew that it was only the innocent misunderstanding of a child who wanted her parents to come back: useless and heartbreaking. Rokubi put a gentle hand on her shoulder and tried to pull her into an embrace. Amaya would have none of it, however, and fled from the assembled village and her wailing baby brother who was being held by Sumomo Moritaka, Hatori's mother. Rokubi gave Sarutobi a guilty look and chased after her: both of them knew that he most likely wouldn't return with her for several days at least…Sarutobi had no way of knowing that Kurai and Amaya would never again be as they had been before the Kyuubi attack. And so it was that Kurai Rokue was the one who caught Amaya and brought her, unconscious, to the care of the Moritaka family. The Moritakas wanted to take Naruto as well, but had been forbidden from doing so by the Council, which had yet again outmaneuvered the Third when it came to a child who needed defending. The family then raised her as their own, because when she awoke three days after her parents' funeral, it was with no knowledge of who she was or her life before she woke up.


	3. Uchiha Twins Unveiled

Whoo...this took a bit longer than expected but I am finally satisfied with it. This chapter gets odd towards the end, but it's leading up to some good ItachiXoc fluff and Kurai angst. Warning for you guys...within a few chapters here, possibly the next one, there will be limes and general smut. Now, with our crew getting older, we are getting towards the whole 'teens-exploring-their-sexuality' part of the saga. And yes, this will cause me to do some toying with ideas for an accompaniment to go in "P2K Accompaniments"! Loves and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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Promises to Keep, Chapter Three: Uchiha Twins Unveiled

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Amaya scowled at her paper, furious with it: she would bet that Iruka, who had passed the Chûnin exam several years previously and more recently taken a position as a teacher in the Academy, had given her a harder test on purpose because he was friends with her older brother Hatori. The ten-year-old girl wrinkled her nose in an obvious sign of dislike and irritation: she had only entered the Academy two years ago, and yet she was taking the graduation exam with Itachi's age group. It was a fact that made many of her classmates very jealous and annoyed. Itachi, however, had praised her for her progress and told her that perhaps she would catch up to him yet: Itachi had already passed the Chûnin exam two years previously. Hatori and Tsuchino had still not become Chûnin yet…but it was a small comfort that her brother and his girlfriend were still genin at nineteen and fifteen: neither of them really cared to become Chûnin yet anyways. But they had been happy for Iruka, their genin teammate, when he had gained the rank. Kotetsu and Izumo, who were friends of Hatori and Iruka's, both picked on her that she was trying too hard. Again, Amaya scowled as she decided to write the only possible correct answer she could think of to the final question: "What is the true strength of a shinobi?" Well, that was simple and yet complicated: the answer was 'Their Will of Fire'. On the other hand, she didn't know why, but she wanted to scream that the answer was "Their precious person!" She refrained from letting her mind get the better of her and calmly raised her hand to let Iruka know she'd finished. Smiling, Iruka took her test and told her that she was supposed to go to the room three doors down on the left for the last part of the exam.

Amaya sighed and did as told: she knew that Iruka knew she'd passed the written portion of the test. It was a very simple test, even if she had been irritated with it. Entering the designated room, Amaya was startled to find not only the Third, but the strange white-haired man that she knew to be one of the Sannin and the advisors. Unconsciously straightening her posture even more than normal, Amaya waited to be told what her test would be. She did not have to wait long.

"Amaya Moritaka: perform a henge of Jiraiya, please." The Third smiled kindly at her as he indicated the Sannin. Amaya blinked but inwardly smiled: this would be easy! She quickly made the hand signs for the jutsu and a moment later, not one but four identical Jiraiyas stood looking at each other in confusion: one was the real one and the other three were Amaya and her Shadow clones. "My, but you have improved!" The Third chuckled as the four Jiraiyas looked at each other, with identical expressions of surprise and respect: she was mimicking him perfectly. "All right, release the henge, Amaya-chan." She did and instead of four Jiraiyas, there were now three Amayas and only one of the Sannin. "And the shadow clones please." With a disappointed sigh, the girl did as told before turning her total attention to the Third. "Congratulations, you have passed the graduation exam. Go home and tell your family the good news!" The Third smiled as the ten-year-old girl, now a genin, ran off to do just that: but it was not the family that Sarutobi-sama and Jiraiya were thinking off as they watched her go, their hearts heavy with the knowledge that she did not know who she truly was.

~Outside the Uchiha Compound, same day~

In the seven years since Kyuubi's attack and the death of Yondaime, Kurai had ascended to the highest ranks of Root: he was constantly being requested by the daimyo and other patrons of Konoha's shinobi services. He was wanted for anything from babysitting the heirs of powerful families to the assassinations of other daimyos and village leaders. At just under twelve, the boy was a highly sought after commodity among the clients of Konoha: everyone wanted him because he was the best and would kill for free if you presented a good enough case. Indeed, he had actually gotten to be so skilled that not even Danzo dared to push his buttons much anymore: Kurai was now his own boss. He went where he pleased, when he pleased, and didn't have a problem with fucking up anyone who thought they could make him do otherwise. As a matter of fact, unless his memory failed him, he had recently sent several new Chûnins to the hospital because the advisors and Danzo had tried to force him to cooperate on a mission that he had not felt was worth his time and energy. To prove his point and authority over his own life and sale as an assassin, Kurai had retaliated by putting the six Chûnins into the ICU for a month: the Third had been extremely cross with him, but had understood and so punishment was not issued on the young Rokubi incarnate.

Now, Kurai was sitting in a tree that overlooked his parents' backyard, watching as seven-year-old Sasuke practiced kunai alone: Itachi was not home and Fugaku was at work, while Mikoto was inside doing housework. The boy had excellent form for his age…but he still had plenty of room for improvement. Kurai smiled as Sasuke kept at it, determination pouring off the boy: he would be strong, but he would need proper guidance or he could easily stray down the wrong paths. This was true of all children, really…left without someone to show them the way, they floundered and became lost among the forests of life before reaching out to the first person that offered to show them the way to their destinations. This made him think of Amaya and he unconsciously gave a low, nearly inaudible snarl: it infuriated him what they'd done to Naruto after he'd been relieved of his job as the boy's caretaker four years ago. Now, Naruto had been given a small living allowance and an even smaller apartment to call home. He was shunned by the entire village because he was the vessel for Kyuubi. It sickened him and reminded him strongly of his own childhood, with the only difference being that some of the villagers had been kind to him: Yondaime had been a perfect example and Kurai's only constant, good role model. But now Minato Namikaze was long dead and the village that regarded him as a hero cast aside his only son like yesterday's foulest rubbish. Amaya was given a reprieve from Kurai's anger, since she did not even remember that Naruto was her baby brother and yet she would defend the boy if someone picked on him around her, regardless of whether or not Naruto was present.

He was actually very impressed with Amaya's protectiveness of Naruto: she cared about the lad, despite having forgotten the truth about him. She was constantly telling the others that they shouldn't blame Naruto for something he had no choice in. A memory flitted through his mind and he had to stop himself from letting a smirk make its way onto his face: he was not supposed to show any emotion.

…

"_**Don't pick on Naruto! It's not like he asked to be an orphan! And why do the adults hate him anyways? They never tell us anything other than that he's a monster: he seems like a perfectly normal orphaned seven-year-old to me!" Amaya-hime was furious and letting her brother's friends know just how much so. She had caught them throwing rocks at Naruto; Kurai had been about to intercede on the child's behalf, but had stopped short when Amaya-hime had come out of nowhere and punched the older and bigger Raidou Namiashi out cold. Now she was making a spectacular display of her temper as she yelled at all of the nearby youths, regardless of their involvement or non-involvement in Naruto's torment. "He only causes trouble so people will pay attention to him! Iruka, weren't you just like him in the Academy? Weren't all of us like him in some ways? How different from us is he really?" She had turned to reach out and touch Naruto's hair: the boy flinched away before smacking at her hand. Amaya frowned and leveled him with a look that clearly said 'Don't give me reason to regret this; I'm protecting you.' When Naruto had realized that she wasn't going to hurt him, he relaxed and she soothingly stroked his blond tresses with marked protectiveness gleaming in her eyes as she glared at the still gawking audience of other youths in her age group and older. "What? Gonna stand there and gape all day? Get lost you jerks!" The other kids scattered instantly, leaving only Amaya, Tsuchino, and Hatori with Naruto.**_

"_**Amaya…let's take him back to the house: mom will feed him and take care of the cuts and bruises from the stones." Hatori said gently as Amaya tenderly pulled Naruto to his feet and guided him towards the Moritaka residence: Kurai watched, both stunned and impressed by the display he'd just witnessed. Amaya-hime would soon be quite a force to be reckoned with, unless the Rokubi's consciousness and Kurai missed their guess.**_

…

Now, as he watched Sasuke practicing, he wondered if Itachi was walking Amaya home again that day; he'd noticed that his twin seemed to have become more than a bit fond of Amaya-hime recently. He snorted in mild amusement and told himself that it didn't concern him: if Itachi cared about her then what of it? Yes, that meant he would now be honor-bound to protect her for yet another reason, but aside from his obligations to protect her it was of no importance to him…or so he tried to convince himself. Truthfully, he was fond of the girl himself: he remembered how she used to be just as surely as if it had only occurred mere moments ago instead of the seven years which had passed. He remembered how she'd loved to braid his hair, which he now kept just below ear length -where Itachi kept his in a low ponytail, Kurai had simply pulled his hair back and cut it off at the ponytail level-, and had loved for him to fold paper cranes for her. Yes, he missed that Amaya very much…but he also admired and respected the fine young kunoichi she was becoming regardless of the total absence of memories about her real identity and her life before Kyuubi. The Rokubi's consciousness had educated him in mating and sex some months ago, telling him that what he felt for Amaya seemed suspiciously similar to the beginnings of attraction to the Rokubi's consciousness: this only annoyed Kurai, who shut the Rokubi's mind out with a great deal of force. He had managed to convince himself that it was NOT attraction and would NOT turn into affection or love: it was merely respect for another that was worthy of his notice and acknowledgement of Itachi's obvious affections for her. Rokubi's consciousness only gave a smug and knowing chuckle. **:**_**If you say so, Kurai…but I think that one day, you'll look back on this and realize that I am right.**_**: **Kurai snarled at the other half of his personality and resumed his vigilant observation of Sasuke, stubbornly steering his thoughts away from a certain fire-gold haired, pretty ten-year-old tomboy.

~Home of Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha, three days later~

"Itachi, answer me! You said you were going to practice with me today! You promised!" Mikoto paused and smiled as she heard Amaya yelling up to Itachi's room from the street. That girl was absolutely incorrigible when it came to pestering Itachi for things she wanted or he'd promised. Aside from that, the girl was positively beautiful for a tomboy, even at just past her tenth birthday: she would be an absolute heart-breaker before long at the rate she was going. Long fiery-gold hair was pulled up in a crude ponytail at the back of her skull while the shorter layers fell free, framing her face and accentuating her fine features and soft complexion. She had already lost most of the roundness from her face that usually distinguished children from young adults: the girl was very mature, even if she was still a bit childish when it came to emotions. "Itachi, don't make me come up there! You know I will!" Mikoto started as her son appeared in the corner of her vision, descending the stairs from his room on the second floor of the house.

"Okaasan, what are you doing?" He asked amusedly, though she imagined that he already knew from the look on his face. She hurriedly regained her composure and went off to check on Sasuke, who was playing in the yard when she last looked in on him ten minutes ago. Itachi just shook his head and sighed as he prepared to let Amaya in. As soon as he opened the gate, Amaya was poking him in the chest as she emphasized every word she said.

"You…made…me…wait…OUTSIDE…for…thirty…minutes!" She stopped jabbing him in the sternum long enough to glare fiercely at him before listing all of the unpleasant names she could think of for him due to his rude behavior. She finally gave up when he led her into the yard and shut the gate behind her, still obstinately silent.

"I'm sorry Amaya-chan, but you are the one who is an hour early as of right now." Itachi calmly stated after a few minutes, earning another glare from the younger girl.

"Narcissistic prick…" Amaya mumbled under her breath, causing Itachi to smile as he led her into the backyard. His mother greeted Amaya from the living room, since she had the sliding doors opened to let in the warm mid-afternoon breeze: Sasuke looked up, excitement obvious in his face. Whenever Amaya came over, he was allowed to watch as she and Itachi practiced their skills and Amaya often brought him a tomato or some other kind of present: today, it was a new satchel for him to carry his books when he started at the Academy in autumn. She also brought him a tomato, but Mikoto told him to wait a bit before eating it: Sasuke looked a bit crestfallen at not being able to eat the adored produce, but did as his mother instructed, settling down to watch as Amaya and Itachi took their positions. They went through basic warm-ups first, flawlessly executing the routines, before Amaya fell into her habitual stance: she was mainly a weapon and hand-to-hand combat specialist, but she did have a few jutsu up her sleeve and Itachi knew it. Since Itachi was better at ninjutsu and genjutsu, Amaya had a slight edge on him: she could hit him with her jutsu or weapons and prevent him from using his techniques by getting close enough that he couldn't dodge her physical attacks long enough to perform his own jutsu. Itachi had learned the hard way: he needed to keep Amaya at a distance or she'd break at least one of his bones. Sasuke stared, entranced, as Amaya and Itachi began exchanging attack for attack: fist it was jutsu and then Amaya got behind Itachi and it became a fight with weapons. Neither the two sparring youths nor young Sasuke noticed as Fugaku came home and took a position watching the practice session that was more like shinobi sparring: he was very impressed with Itachi's skills and he felt that Amaya was a good match for him…in more ways than one.

As a noise distracted Amaya for a fraction of a second, Itachi caught her in the ribs with a well-aimed kick: she went reeling into the nearby wall, instinctively slapping a chakra infused palm against it to catch herself. Her attention was focused on a point in the distance above Itachi's head, however: she was certain that she'd seen something or someone there a moment ago. After a moment, she shook her head to clear it of confusion and pain. Then Itachi's face came into view, causing her to start, and she hissed as dull pain spread in her ribs; she was going to have a very nasty bruise for a while.

"Amaya-chan? Are you okay?" Itachi helped the slighter and younger girl regain her feet and, after she'd assured him she was okay, continued to discuss their practice session. "I think we should stop for today: you have the routine that your instructor assigned down almost perfectly. Plus, you were distracted just now by something in that tree, weren't you?" Amaya's jaw dropped and she began to deny the distraction, but she saw something in Itachi's eyes that made her stop dead: he had his Sharingan activated…but they weren't the normal ones. She quickly mumbled that Itachi was right: they should stop. Thanking him for taking time to practice with her, she gave Sasuke a light kiss on the forehead and bowed to Mikoto and Fugaku before fleeing the Uchiha compound for the comfort of her home, which had been the Moritaka residence for the past seven years. As she was leaving, she saw members of the Uchiha Police Corps. heading back towards Itachi's house and a shiver ran down her spine: somehow she knew they were looking for Itachi…but she didn't know why and she didn't want to find out. It would be the next morning that Hatori would tell her Itachi was being investigated regarding Shisui Uchiha's suicide: they thought Itachi had murdered him. Amaya firmly denied the implications of such accusations, even as a doubt crept into her heart: what about his eyes then? What had caused his eyes to change like that? Shaking it off, she tried to forget about it but Itachi only began to become ever more distant and cold: she was the only one he would smile for anymore, aside from Sasuke. Then the following autumn, shortly after Sasuke had started at the Academy, it happened: Sasuke was found alone in the Uchiha compound among the corpses of the entire clan. Sasuke was the only one the thirteen-year-old Itachi left alive…and Amaya was determined to find out why.

~Hokage Tower, two days before the Uchiha massacre~

Kurai snarled as he heard the orders that the council was issuing to Itachi and himself: wipe them out…kill every Uchiha, young or old, sick or healthy, shinobi or civilian. Itachi had met him before and had grown marginally accustomed to him as a result. Both of them knew that Fugaku Uchiha had been heading the plans of a coup d'état and neither of them felt any real remorse at the orders to kill the clan. Kurai had learned Mikoto supported Fugaku in the plans entirely, as did every other Uchiha that was old enough to understand the implications. As he grew older, Kurai had learned of the corruptness of his family and no longer held any respect for them. He had never really felt anything for them outside of a longing to be accepted, really…every orphan's wish was for their family to come back and claim them, after all. So, he was proud to say he felt nothing when ordered to kill his parents and the rest of the clan. He did, however, have certain qualms about killing Sasuke…and it appeared that Itachi couldn't have agreed more.

"I refuse to kill Sasuke." Itachi stated flatly. "That is my condition; I will do this and become a nukenin, taking the sole blame for my clan's murder, but Sasuke is not to be harmed, now or ever. If I find out he has been harmed in any way as a result of this council's decisions, I will return and personally send each of you to hell." Kurai was still growling low in his throat and Sandaime knew that was never a good thing. When Kurai finally spoke, he confirmed Sandaime's prediction: the growling had most definitely NOT been a good sign.

"Why include Itachi in this at all? Because you know I won't do it without a damn good reason? Keh! Well guess what: I'd be happy to get rid of them. I even happen to have connections that can help: I have my own agenda you know." Danzo and the advisors threatened the hidden Uchiha, saying that if he said anything they'd have him dead within a heartbeat. Unfazed by their threats, Kurai sneered at them and made Itachi blink at him in confusion: who did this guy think he was to so obnoxiously defy the council? But then, hadn't Itachi himself just done the same thing? "You old fucks don't scare me: you couldn't even come close to hitting me if I stood perfectly still for three days and let you attack me all out." Kurai flashed them a pointed and feral smile. "As for saying things I shouldn't, what makes you think Itachi is so stupid that he won't figure it out on his own sooner or later?" He gave a sadistic snort and leered at Danzo as he spoke again. "I will kill them…but only for the right price."

"What? How dare you make demands of this council? We allowed you to live you ungrateful beast!" Koharu screeched while Homura and Danzo, respectively, turned red with anger and glared. Sandaime Hokage simply remained quiet: he had been against all of it from the very beginning -when Kurai had been born as Takeshi Uchiha thirteen years previously- but he had been outmaneuvered by the other council members and forced to submit to their choices. Now, he watched as the twin brothers stood side by side and took the order to murder their entire family, sparing none, with demands of their own. He was oddly amused by the fact that the Council had created this problem…and had now unleashed it upon themselves and the world. They had effectively dug their own graves, each and every one of them…himself included.

"SHUT UP! Proud, stupid, selfish old fools that you are! What do you know of the nature of beasts? Not even a beast would cast out the strongest young from their litters! Yet you, who claim to be so much better than I, cast me out and wanted me executed before I was even hours old! You think I am a fool? I know what you are, all of you!" Kurai's voice, which had only recently begun to change with puberty, was suddenly that of a grown man and very terrifying: it did not help that, with puberty, he was beginning to make the final steps in assimilating with Rokubi. Soon, there would be no gaps and the two consciousnesses would be one being in its entirety. "You sat here and passed laws so that I would never be known as I truly am! But you cannot hide what blood so plainly tells!" Glaring up at Danzo and the other members of the council, Kurai heard the many frightened exclamations as his eyes spun dangerously with Sharingan: Itachi was very nearly floored beside him from shock and sudden realization. "I will kill the Uchiha clan for you not because you ask, but because even though they knew who I was, they did not even try to ensure that I survived. I was cast out like trash because I hold the Rokubi and for their ignorant cruelty, I will kill them. However, I will never return to Root and I will not be listed as a nukenin: I will be listed as dead, so that none of you can ever try to come after me again. I assure you that if you send anyone after me, you'll never find so much a molecule of evidence to tell you what I did to them and they will never come back to Konoha as anything but 'Missing in Action' reports."

"Very well Takeshi…what else do you want, for I can tell that is not all." Sandaime said softly, respectfully, and was instantly pinned with a swirling Sharingan glare.

"Naruto Uzumaki will be under my protection, for starters: if I find out he has been harmed or killed by anyone, Konoha or otherwise, expect vicious retribution and don't interfere. Also, I reiterated Itachi's demand: leave Sasuke out of it or I will kill you should Itachi prove lenient- trust me, you'd better pray Itachi kills you should that scenario come to pass. Lastly, Amaya is to be protected at all costs: I want unhindered access to her, Naruto, and Sasuke. Try to shut me out and I will bring this village down to the ground. I have sworn that I would protect them until I am no longer living…and I intend to honor my word." Kurai's eyes were slowly returning to the dark electric blue they normally maintained as he growled out each request. Once the deal had been finalized, Itachi and Kurai waited to make their move: Itachi would kill Fugaku and Mikoto with the other main family members, while Kurai would sweep the rest of the compound and execute the remainder of the clan. Only Sasuke would be left alive and he would only ever see Itachi, who would give him a reason to hate and grow stronger. When the night came, both Kurai and Itachi knew what to do and where they would meet Madara in four days time: they carried out their orders flawlessly and then they disappeared from Konoha for quite a long time…

In the aftermath, Itachi was made a nukenin, just as he'd wanted, and Kurai simply vanished into the night without leaving a trace of his presence. It was shortly afterwards that Kurai was first reported as "Missing in Action" and finally, months later, "Killed in Action". A year later and the ANBU Root had completely removed all traces of their lost member, leaving him only in their memories. It was for this reason that Sasuke never knew of his eldest brother, who had sworn to protect him at all costs on the day he was born. At the same time, it was commonly accepted that Naruto had no family and was never told who his parents were, much less about his older sister: no one saw the need to do so. Amaya and Hatori, along with the others of their group who had known Kurai and Itachi, tried to ease the painful memories of the events that caused them to leave or 'die' by their own methods…and in time, nearly all of them truly did forget exactly who they had been, remembering them only as the council painted them. However, Amaya never believed the council: she searched for Itachi every chance she got because she couldn't accept what the council and Sasuke said of him. Meanwhile, Jiraiya continued to maintain contact with Kurai and, through him, would later learn a great deal about Orochimaru's true intentions…and about Akatsuki.

~Nine years after the Kyuubi attack~

Sighing, twenty-one-year-old Hatori Moritaka readjusted his pack for the fifth time: Amaya was well overdue…and both he and Tsuchino were worried. It had been a simple, routine mission to an ally country: escort a merchant caravan and its cargo back to their country, return home, and collect payment. The mission was short, simple, and to the point with no expected combat. However, just a day outside of their destination, Amaya had said she'd sensed a chakra level and gone off to investigate by herself. It shouldn't have taken more than a half an hour to canvass the surrounding area, yet Amaya had been gone for nearly twelve times that long. Unfortunately, he and Tsuchino could not go and search for Amaya until they had ensured that the caravan and its cargo were safely within their own village's walls. He could only hope his twelve-year-old cousin, who had been adopted and raised as his younger sister after the Kyuubi attack, had not come to any harm and had merely gotten lost. Even though he knew Amaya was not really his sister, he was still very close to her and extremely protective: Tsuchino, who also knew Amaya's real identity, thought the way he'd taken to Amaya was very admirable and an added bonus to his list of desirable qualities. Now, the two Chûnins were forced to continue their mission and return for Amaya later: Tsuchino watched as Hatori kept casting guilty and anxious glances over his shoulders, scanning for any sign of Amaya as the distance between the last place she'd been seen and her team only grew larger… Little did Hatori and Tsuchino know that they would not find Amaya no matter how hard they looked: she had been captured by enemy ninja and was currently lying unconscious in the enemy's base some sixty miles away…

~Somewhere in River Country~

"So, who has an opinion on the little Chûnin from Konoha?" The question, posed by Pein's shadowy form, was directed at the other Akatsuki members who were at the base with Amaya: all of them were eyeing the form of the fiery-gold haired girl, who was bound and gagged on the floor before them. Kurai had snarled as soon as she was brought in by Orochimaru a few hours previously while Itachi's entire demeanor had stiffened when he and Kisame had returned to the base to find her lying there. It was known that Itachi was from Konoha by all of the Akatsuki members, while only a few knew that Kurai was also a Konoha native: but to those who knew this little bit of information, there reactions said that they recognized her. Orochimaru was as gleeful as a child that has just been handed the keys to their favorite toy and candy stores: he was all but giggling in his display of delight at his fortunes.

"Perhaps I could have her…I know of her and I think she'd be an excellent candidate for Akatsuki once she's been convinced…" Orochimaru chimed happily as he made to reach out and touch Amaya's hair. He quickly withdrew his hand however as electricity crackled up off the floor and scorched his palm, a warning growl rumbling from Kurai's direction.

"Don't even THINK about it Orochimaru; if you get her then she'll be useless to us. I vote that she be given to me: I want to try implanting the Shichibi into her. I know where it is and I'm supposed to catch it anyways. So, by making her a Jinchuuriki, when her village rejects her, she'll come running back to Akatsuki because we're the ones who made her that way. She won't know how to control the bijuu's chakra and will need someone to teach her how or to extract the bijuu: wither way she comes back here and we are none the poorer for it." Pein seemed to contemplate Kurai's proposal for a short expanse of time before agreeing.

"Very well. Do what you will: the girl is your responsibility now, Kurai. However, if she is at all valuable to her village, they'll send someone to search for her: deal with it." Pein then vanished, leaving the rest of the Akatsuki members to go about their assignments or waste their free time with their own hobbies. Some of them were currently without assignments, like Kurai, and were consequently pursuing their own interests within the underground system of cave-like rooms that served as one of the organization's more permanent bases.

"So how do you intend to throw the hounds off the scent?" Orochimaru asked, peeved that Kurai had caught him red-handed in his attempt to experiment on the daughter of the Fourth. The Rokubi incarnate smirked at his former caretaker, his pointed canines making the expression seem more sinister than it truly was.

"Why I should think that much would be obvious: by means of a diversion." Kurai did not elaborate and the fourteen-year-old easily lifted Amaya's smaller frame onto his shoulder before disappearing into the labyrinth of passages and rooms that formed the based. Itachi watched him remove Amaya from the curious eyes of the other Akatsuki members and forced himself not to let any of his own feelings show as he made his way to his own room within the base. Over the year since the Uchiha Massacre, Itachi and Kurai had come to an understanding: both brothers now knew virtually all there was to know about the other and had come to the arrangement that Kurai was the one to have the final say, because he was the elder. Kurai also had the undeniable edge of being the Rokubi's human incarnation of choice: Rokubi had chosen Kurai and had fused with him by his own means, becoming one and the same with Kurai. When Kurai died, his soul would fuse completely with that of the Rokubi and the Rokubi would revert to his natural and wild existence, taking Kurai with him as a form of past life. In essence, Kurai was now half-way assimilated with the Rokubi…and the two were becoming ever more homogeneous as Kurai grew older and more mature. Itachi now understood that Kurai had taken the mission to keep an eye on Orochimaru nearly six years ago, and consequently been drafted into Akatsuki, to protect Amaya, Sasuke, and Itachi himself: everything Kurai did was to ensure that he could protect those precious to him when they needed him. He had put up with Root and Danzo for eleven years -the training, the pain, the insults, and the rejection- because he knew that Root was one of the groups that produced some of the strongest shinobi Konoha had to offer. He had removed all of his own humanity and replaced it with reticence and impersonality: he went from the Kurai that had let Amaya braid his hair to the Kurai that performed countless assassinations without a thought or regret. He had gone from a child seeking the acceptance and love of his family to a youth that saw them for what they truly were and felt justified in condemning them, even going so far as to personally assist in their execution.

:_But why make Amaya-chan into a Jinchuuriki…what is oniisan thinking?_: Itachi wondered as he absently entered his room, which was one of three in the secluded upper level of the base: it was not only difficult to get up to this level past Kurai's many, many traps -none were pleasant and all resulted in critical injuries if not immediate death unless you knew how to get past them-, but it was **hot** and **humid** on this level. Part of living with the Rokubi inside him was that Kurai sometimes preferred to spend his free time in one of his various bijuu forms: this meant that on any given day, he might decide to meander around the base as a wolf. Said wolf came in various sizes and with tail quantities ranging from one to six: the thick pelt that Kurai possessed in his wolf forms caused him to give off more body heat than normal, especially since the Rokubi was the bijuu of lightning and was constantly giving off an electrical current. Itachi had personally never been foolish enough to touch his twin without some kind of electrical deterrent: Kisame had not been so fortunate, as the shark-like shinobi had once punched Kurai only to get a violent shock for his trouble while Kurai had walked away without so much as a bruise from the older and larger male's assault on his person. Deidara had laughed uproariously at the spectacle of Kisame, singed and twitching on the floor, while Kurai walked away growling at Itachi to "Keep your fucking goldfish away from live wires or his new name will be 'fish stick', got it?" Now, Itachi was once again put on the spot by his twin's actions and, though he knew Kurai would probably tell him whatever he was planning later, for the moment he felt quite the fool. He whirled, kunai in hand, when he felt someone behind him: when he recognized Kurai, with Amaya still unconscious and draped over one shoulder, Itachi relaxed.

"Wondering what I'm thinking again, huh?" Kurai chuckled as he lay Amaya down on Itachi's bed. "Well, I suppose I could tell you. I plan to fuse the Shichibi into Amaya for the purpose of the Shichibi's healing abilities and earth element: Shichibi has always healed and protected its past Jinchuuriki with unheard of ferocity. There weren't many earth elementals among the fox demons, and only one of them ever grew powerful enough to gain the title 'bijuu': she is Shichibi no Kitsune and she is direct kin to the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Rokubi no Okami is the bijuu that is assimilating with me, and Shichibi has already told me that, as a favor to me and therefore to Rokubi, she will fuse with Amaya and protect her when we cannot be there." Kurai gave Itachi a knowing look: he knew that his twin, for all his denials, had a certain affinity for Amaya. "As for the diversion I spoke of to Orochimaru, its simple: a ransom for the only daughter of the Fourth Hokage, which I will personally deliver to the Council. They will have four months to acquire the desired amount, which will make Pein and Kakuzu ecstatic when I tell them how much it is. During which time, Amaya will remain here with you and I as her instructors on how to control her bijuu and augment her elemental techniques."

"You planned this a while ago, didn't you?" Itachi accused with a raised eyebrow, to which Kurai only replied with a chuckle. "You did, you bastard!" Itachi launched a punch at his brother, which was effortlessly ducked as Kurai slipped out the door, cheerfully chiming, "Have fun and behave! I won't have to hurt you…Shichibi will. Try anything and you won't be able to move for weeks!" So, Itachi was left with Amaya, unconscious and from all he could tell already fused with Shichibi, lying on his bed on the uppermost floor of the base: the only other people who could get up here were Kurai and Zetsu, who never did because Kurai booby trapped everything to high hell…including the insides of the walls, floor, and ceiling. So, Itachi was left with a personal dilemma: how was Amaya going to react to him, when he was known in Konoha as the man who had single-handedly slaughtered his entire clan with the sole exception of Sasuke? He could only wait for her to wake up…and hope against hope that she would at least listen to what he had to say.

~Konoha, Hokage Tower~

Hatori and Tsuchino were total nervous wrecks: they had frantically searched every inch of the area where Amaya had vanished and the surrounding country until they had been forced to return to Konoha when Kakashi, who was roughly the same age as Hatori, had been sent to retrieve them. Due to the nature of the mission and Hatori's panic at the loss of Amaya, no message had been sent to Konoha relaying the details of the mission. And so, Konoha had been unaware of Amaya's disappearance and suspected capture until Kakashi arrived. As soon as Hatori told him, Kakashi sent one of his nin-dogs straight back to the Hokage with the news. Now, the Third was sitting at his desk, trying to conceal the great worry and guilt he felt for letting Amaya go out with only Hatori and Tsuchino to safeguard the late Fourth's daughter, whom he had promised to care for as he would his own family. Instead, he had trusted the Moritaka and Sanada youths with her: he felt like such an old fool, but the two were excellent Chûnin and the mission had been a simple one. Hatori was actually an only child, and his father had been killed in the Kyuubi attack alongside Yondaime and Iruka's parents, as well as countless other parents, brothers, sisters, and cousins of the surviving populace. This had left only Hatori and his mother, Sumomo, to raise Amaya: Sumomo loved the girl like her own, partly out of love for her husband's sister, Kushina.

Tsuchino had been raised by the village, since both of her parents were killed by Kyuubi. Her father had been a former ninja of Iwagakure: he had pledged loyalty to Yondaime and Konoha after Iwa's council attempted to execute him for crimes he had not committed. Riku Sanada had evaded the assassins and one of Iwa's elite had given a report that he was dead, taking back a decapitated corpse as proof: Riku had joked that it paid to have friends in high positions in Iwa, especially one who specialized in murder and medicine. Shortly after moving to his new home village, he had met a young woman from the Yamanaka clan -Inoichi's sister- and they had married. A few years later, Tsuchino had been born…the girl was entirely her father in looks, but had her mother's personality: long, silky black hair and penetrating blue eyes gave her a beauty that belied her wicked temper and capricious attitude. Now, both of the young adults were behaving as children caught in the act of a horrible misdeed: scared and nervous as to their impending fates. Hatori was also feeling unbearably guilty…he was sitting in his chair, slumped over with his head in his hands while his body occasionally shook with a dry sob: if anything happened to Amaya, he'd never forgive himself. The Third sighed as he looked the two young Chûnins over: neither of them looked like they could stand much more of this tension. "Hatori-kun, Tsuchino-chan, I think the two of you should go home and rest: I'm afraid there isn't anything else either of you can do for Amaya-chan. We will just have to wait and see what happens. You will be notified should we find out anything, so off you go." Hatori didn't move until Tsuchino, who was silently crying, took him by the hands and forced him to follow her out of the Hokage's office. Once the two young Chûnins were gone, the Third turned to Jiraiya: the Toad Sannin had come as soon as a message bird had alighted on his shoulder with the news.

"I assume from your message, Jiraiya, that you have some information on this situation?" Jiraiya nodded and the Third smiled wanly. "Care to share with your foolhardy old sensei?"

"All I can say is that I was tailing Orochimaru and I saw someone I didn't expect carrying our little Amaya-hime over one shoulder like a rag doll…walking shoulder to shoulder with Orochimaru, no less. Both of them were wearing odd black cloaks with red cloud insignias on them. I have seen a few others wearing those cloaks and they seem to be some kind of group or organization, which Orochimaru, snake that he is, has allied himself with. The most interesting turn of events is this: Itachi Uchiha has joined their ranks, just as Kurai Rokue did a number of years ago. Kurai joined only a few months after Orochimaru did actually…" Jiraiya was thoughtfully rubbing his chin, lost in some form of private thought. The Third let him have a few spare moments before deciding to intrude on his graduated student's thoughts.

"So who was carrying Amaya: Itachi or Kurai? I know you well enough to know that you would only mention them if one of them is your "someone unexpected"." Sandaime said with narrowed eyes: Itachi and Kurai had joined this group that, if Orochimaru was any indication, was a band of criminals? Konoha had made them this way…but would Konoha be able to deal with it when the two greatest prodigies the village had produced since Minato Namikaze came home? Hizuren Sarutobi, The Third Hokage, sincerely hoped that the village would survive whatever retribution the Uchiha twins saw fit to visit upon their birthplace. May all the powers of the universe have mercy on Konoha if Itachi and Kurai decided to punish those who had wronged them and their's.

"It was Kurai…and he snarled at anyone who tried to touch her. It seems he's become even more feral since you assigned him to infiltrate Orochimaru's operations five years ago. He seems to communicate mainly through growls, snarls, and other wolf-influenced sounds lately: he is becoming more integrated with Rokubi from the way he's acting. That doesn't mean that he's no longer extremely intelligent or losing his ability to articulate, only that he chooses not to waste his time reasoning with his fellow humans. Amaya was unconscious, bound, and gagged, yet he seemed to be taking great care not to cause any injury or discomfort to her. He may appear to be a savage and cruel murderer on the outside, but somewhere in there Kurai is still Takeshi: hidden deep inside, he's still a damn good kid." Jiraiya was smiling now, which gave the Third a small amount of reassurance. "He's still loyal to Konoha, for whatever fucking reason is his own. Personally, I'm not sure I would still try to protect the village if I'd had his life…hell, if I had to deal with even an eighth of his life I'd probably have killed myself or gone the way of Itachi by now and gone on a killing spree of all the people that I didn't like. That boy has an amazingly strong Will of Fire, an unbelievable perseverance level, and, no pun intended, a shocking personality. If he ever decides that Konoha is no longer worthy of his loyalty, may any and all Gods there are have pity on us: we'll need it." The Third nodded solemnly…it was frighteningly easy to _**know**_ Jiraiya's words were all too true.

"Talking about people behind their backs is considered extremely rude by some, you know… Of course, when you're a spy and an assassin, you get used to people waiting in line for a shot at killing you." Jiraiya and the Third both jumped out of their skins, ready for battle even as they whirled to face the speaker. Kurai was leaning casually against the sill of the open window, smirking maliciously with his sharp, wolf-like canines on full display. "Really Jiraiya…I hadn't realized you respected my abilities to such an extent. Its good to know not everyone is so stupid as to think me a weak-minded and powerless fool who's pretending to play homicidally-inclined ex-ANBU. Love the security detail by the way, Sandaime-sama: I slipped right past all of them. I suggest you increase their training if you intend to stop Orochimaru from taking a crack at you; and he will take a shot at you, sooner or later. Now, my reason for being here is simple and quite easy to understand, really." Kurai moved from the wall and tossed a scroll onto the Hokage's desk with all the grace one might expect of royalty. "Inside that scroll is a message from the organization I have infiltrated to remain on Orochimaru's tail: trust me, Akatsuki is a far bigger threat than that Snake will ever be. They want a very large sum of money for Amaya's return to Konoha. You have four months to acquire it, during which time she will be trained by me to hone her skills… Akatsuki thinks I'll be making her my slave for that time, but they don't need the particulars. They have given her to me, to do with as I see fit and they know better than to try my patience. During her stay in my care, she **will** be exposed to Itachi, so expect her to be different when she comes back. I have done my jobs: report to Konoha and deliver the ransom demand. Now to get back to my real job as Jiraiya's inside informant on dear old Snake-face…ta!" With an insanely creepy and cheery smirk, Kurai waved before vanishing without a trace: Jiraiya and the Third were left, stunned and slightly afraid, to examine the ransom demands before informing Amaya's family and friends of the situation.


	4. Listen to Your Heart

Here is chapter four, with the source of my inspiration coming from Lily's fabulous artwork and the song "Listen to Your Heart" by D.H.T.

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Promises to Keep, Chapter Four: Listen to Your Heart

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Amaya had been quite startled when she'd woken up just about a week previously to none other than Itachi Uchiha staring at her like a hawk. She'd been tied up and had a gag in her mouth, but that didn't stop her from trying to scream and yell at him to untie her right that instant. Itachi had sighed as if it was a great hassle before telling her that he would only untie her and remove the gag if she'd shut up and listen to him: Amaya had gone quiet, thinking for a long time, before nodding her head. Itachi had raised an amused eyebrow before letting her loose and explaining where she was…and why. In a state of curiosity and mild shock, Amaya had accepted it at face value before asking why she'd been left in his care. Itachi answered her with the honest truth: he had no idea why Kurai had dumped her with him, but he wasn't exactly going to complain. Now, a week after Kurai had delivered the ransom demand to Konoha, Amaya was wishing that she was with Itachi rather than Kurai. The crazy wolf shinobi was drilling her until she could barely breathe, it hurt so much: he didn't smile; he didn't go easy on her because she was a girl; and he was relentlessly serious about training her. He was forcing her to utilize abilities she'd never known she had: she could now consciously and unconsciously generate gem-like shields out of the minerals in the surrounding landscape, something she'd never been able to do before. Itachi often watched their training with interest when he wasn't away from the base: she noticed other men wearing cloaks like this jerk Kurai that trained her and Itachi. They would sometimes watch and speak with Kurai about her, but she'd never met or spoken to any of them herself. She had been told quite matter-of-factly by Kurai that the Shichibi no Kitsune had fused with her and that meant she could now call on the bijuu's powers: it made sense to her, but she couldn't understand why the Shichibi had willingly fused with her of all people.

"Pay attention cublet or you'll lose your pretty little head." Kurai snapped as he threw an apple at her: instinctively and unconsciously, Amaya spun with one head coming up to catch the airborne fruit with a deftness that brought the barest and briefest of smirks to Kurai lips. She was learning…and fast: just a week ago, she'd never have been able to move fast enough to catch the apple and it would have struck her smack in the back of the head. He was impressed with her progress more than he would admit even to himself: add on the fact that even at only twelve, she was beautiful. She had a lithe and perfect hourglass figure, despite not having filled out to her complete maturity yet: she was already a B-cup if he was any type of good judge…and he was. Her hips were starting to flesh out, as well and she had taken to pulling most of her hair back into a tight bun at the back of her skull while her bangs and a few stray tendrils of fire-gold hair framed her face to caress it like a lover. With a slight snarl, he snapped him mind away from dangerous territory: getting involved with her gave him a pronounced weakness. He had cared for his mother and that had made him unable to be the one to kill her: he had taken all of the pictures she had of him with his brothers, as well as a small silver locket she'd kept with a picture of Itachi on one side and him on the other…both holding Sasuke on the day he was born. After that, he'd put the pictures and the locket inside a snake summon that stored itself within his own body, indirectly carrying the items with him at all times: living with Orochimaru had been worth a little after all. Now he was starting to get attached to another female and his mind told him that it was off-limits: females had only ever been a source of pain and trouble for him. Therefore, it was for the best to avoid contact with them…especially Amaya, since she had known him before he lost his humanity even if she did not currently remember him as more than an occasional presence in the neighborhood. "That was a quick catch: you're getting better. Enough for today…go back to your room: use Hiraishin, I've taught you all the basics and you should be able to perform it flawlessly by now."

Amaya gaped at him like he was an idiot: he wanted her to use a technique that was clearly S-rank and which she had heard was developed by the Yondaime Hokage: how the hell did this fucked up wolf-bastard know it? More importantly, why was he teaching it to her and have such confidence in her ability to master it? Snorting, she decided to give him his laugh for the day and go along with making a fool out of herself: closing her eyes, she concentrated hard on the mark in her room that she knew activated the jutsu before actually attempting to perform it. She was therefore quite surprised to open her eyes and find herself already in her room with Kurai standing nearby, chuckling in his sadistically amused way. "How…?" She began and faltered, clearly confused.

"You have an innate compatibility for this jutsu: I'm just shocked you didn't figure it out sooner. You are a natural Hiraishin master, little Amaya-hime." Kurai chuckled and then vanished, as was his wont, without a trace: she'd long since deduced that he must have mastered Hiraishin or some variant of the Fourth's jutsu. Sighing, she decided to see if she could go out with one of Akatsuki's members into a nearby village or on a mission: she was horribly bored. She soon found Sasori, Deidara, and Kisame heading out to round up a new member. She asked them if she could come with them and watch, but Sasori told her to stop entertaining such foolish notions. Kisame was more inclined to openly display his displeasure with the twelve-year-old girl and had no qualms with telling her to get lost.

"Go pester that Kurai bastard, ok girly?" Kisame said while waving Amaya away, dismissing her in one fluid motion. This infuriated the fire-haired young kunoichi and she wasn't about to let Kisame get off without hearing about it.

"Why can't I come? I belong to Kurai, right? Well, Kurai said I could go outside the base as long as I went with another member of the organization. So there, shark-face!" Amaya glared at Kisame with such force that the large shark-like man actually felt a bit intimidated by her. "Since Itachi isn't around, the only others he allows me to go with are Sasori-san, Deidara-san, Kakuzu-san, and you. Though I never will understand why he seems to trust you, a fucked-up cross between a shark and a really ugly man!" She snapped angrily while Sasori and Kisame were inwardly very surprised by her flash fire temper: Deidara was smiling, openly amused by the sight of a twelve-year-old girl verbally gutting Kisame. Then, as Itachi was coming back into the base from wherever he had been, she turned large blue-green puppy eyes on him. "Itachi!! Shark-face says that I can't go with them even though Kurai said I was allowed to go outside with an escort!" Itachi just waved her closer to him, and when she was close enough, poked her forehead much in the same fashion he had always poked Sasuke. The three other men stared, slightly unsettled by Itachi's attitude and treatment towards the girl: he was, to all intents and purposes, kinder to her than he was to ANYONE else that they'd ever seen or heard of.

"Maybe next time, Amaya-chan." Itachi said while being as cold as he could to Amaya as Sasori left with Deidara and Kisame to go round up the newest Akatsuki recruit…a man named Hidan. Itachi then went about his business before heading up towards his room. Amaya pouted: she wasn't pleased with the outcome, but was nonetheless determined to find SOMEONE to keep her company. This was because Kurai had finished with her training for the day, effectively abandoning her to fend for herself in a den of missing-nins. This meant that, though under the guardianship of Kurai, she was left solely to her own devices as long as she obeyed certain restrictions. Those restrictions included, but were not limited to: 1) Do not leave the base to which you are currently assigned without a designated escort; 2) Obey any and all orders given to you by an Akatsuki member; 3) Under no circumstances do you question the authority of an Akatsuki member; and 4) Do not give any Akatsuki member the chance or a reason to wish you harm or ill will. Keeping these restrictions in mind, she decided to stake out near Itachi: Kurai had mentioned an assignment that could take up to a week before their training session that day. As for the rest of Akatsuki…well, they were a group of murderers, so what should they care if Orochimaru took an unhealthy interest in her? They shouldn't and probably wouldn't- which was a fact that Amaya knew and recognized all too well, even as Itachi did.

So when Orochimaru kept trying to find ways to corner her and get her alone, she'd taken to staking out near Itachi, like she was now, whom she had noticed made Orochimaru nearly as nervous as Kurai did: and Itachi allowed her to do so. This was a type of day that she'd come to hate during the week she'd been with Akatsuki: all of the other Akatsuki members who kept Orochimaru away from her at Kurai's request were absent, leaving only Itachi and Orochimaru for Amaya to choose from. She would willingly take Itachi if it kept Orochimaru away from her, especially when one took into account the fact that Itachi was also a Konoha native and had been Amaya's friend for as long as she could remember. This particular day, Itachi was practicing with kunai and exploding tags, so Amaya was staying as close as she could while still maintaining a safe distance from the explosives. She quickly became bored, however, and after nearly an hour of disinterestedly watching Itachi practice something he already excelled at, Amaya promptly fell asleep. Itachi steadily moved away from her as he practiced without realizing it and was soon entirely out of range. Orochimaru, who had been watching from nearby, seized the opportunity to silently abduct the girl. He lifted her into his arms as quickly and carefully as he could, praying that nobody would notice the girl's absence until it was much too late.

~Nearly twelve hours later~

Amaya awoke in her own bed, feeling as if she'd just had a brutal beating: her entire body ached and felt like it was on fire. She noticed that she had bruises developing and she could not recall where she had gotten them. The worst came when she went to get out of bed; because that was when she noticed that above the rest of the pain was an incapacitating pain in her groin and abdomen. A sudden wave of memories hit her, jumbled and incoherent, allowing only bits and pieces to register. Feeling very unclean and used beyond measure, Amaya forced herself to reach her bathroom through the pain. Once there, she set the water temperature to the hottest she could stand and gingerly got into the shower. She washed herself from her to toe, scrubbing hard enough to draw blood in some spots. She found more bruises, lacerations, and bite-marks as she attempted to free herself of the dirty feeling left by Orochimaru. After vigorously, and a bit too forcefully, washing until the water ran ice-cold, Amaya wrapped herself in a large and very thick blanket before curling up on her bed.

She tried to block out the sequences of memory that involved Orochimaru from the past twelve hours, as none of them were pleasant. Orochimaru had first tested her "physical fitness", and then he had ensured that her body was "capable of properly performing", as he had put it. In truth, all he had done was taken her most precious attribute and claimed it for himself, saying that he must ensure that she was "worthy of her inheritance." Amaya strongly suspected that worthiness had nothing to do with it. Rather, she had a strong suspicion that if Orochimaru's words had been anything more than rambling at all, it was in that Orochimaru had done it as a means of getting revenge against Kurai for whatever he'd done to the Snake Sannin. With these thoughts fresh in her mind, Amaya tried with everything she had to stop the tears that threatened to fall, and was startled by a knock on her door.

"Amaya-chan, you did not come to supper yesterday, breakfast this morning, or lunch today. Some of the others began to express concern and asked that I bring you supper. May I come in?" Itachi's monotonous voice was slightly muffled by the door, but easily recognizable all the same. Hurriedly wiping away a few stray tears and scrubbing at her face, Amaya allowed her childhood friend to enter. Unfortunately, her condition of unease and apparent discomfort was not lost on Itachi. "Amaya-chan, are you unwell?"

"Itachi…yeah, I'm okay. I just got something in my eyes…soap from my shower most likely." Amaya forced a smile, only to falter under the gaze of Itachi's Sharingan: he noticed and knew she was hiding something. He briefly contemplated forcing it out of her, but thought better of it. Forcing her only made her clam up and retreat into herself… Itachi had learned that much over the years he known her.

"Very well, then I shall take my leave of you Amaya-chan; sleep well." Itachi gave her a slight inclination of his head before turning and leaving, shutting the door behind himself. Amaya waited to make sure he was truly gone before crawling back into bed and sobbing until sleep claimed her.

~Roughly twenty hours later~

When Kurai returned, it was still early morning and roughly the time he usually woke Amaya for training. Kurai had noticed Amaya's pain instantly upon entering her room and waking her, as well as the change in her movements, and put two and two together: someone had hurt her while he was gone. His protective streak, hugely augmented by Rokubi's assimilation with him, kicked in with a force that meant death for something…or someone. Still, he knew that Amaya would only start to truly get better if she talked to someone about what happened; so, he asked as gently as he could.

"Amaya, I smell blood…why? It is not your mooncycle…and no one has hurt you, not unless they have a death wish." Amaya could only try to stop herself from sobbing into her pillow; the result of which was something of a raspy half-gasping sound. However, Kurai's formidable nose had already picked up on the strongest source of blood. And before Amaya could do anything, Kurai flung the covers from her. He then gently but firmly placed one hand on her inner left thigh and let it slide up. Amaya gasped in pain, trying to pull away and stop Kurai from discovering the truth…discovering that she had been raped.

She was too late: she was only wearing one of her nightshirts after all, which gave him easy access to the knowledge he wanted. Kurai's face remained frighteningly expressionless as he brought his hand back from Amaya's body and looked down at it. There was a fair amount of blood, though the bleeding had almost entirely stopped. Kurai was no fool, and brought Amaya as close against him as he dared, whispering "I'm sorry I wasn't here to protect you." before he lifted her and, taking her into his own room, lay her in his bed. Amaya was startled by his sudden change in demeanor and fierce protectiveness, but was somehow unable to comment on it. Having spotted them, Kurai had picked up the pile of her bloody and torn clothes near her bathroom, inhaling the scents they held: Orochimaru's scent was the only one that should not have been there. Kurai gave a nearly inaudible snarl of rage, which he restrained as cast a mild jutsu that would make Amaya sleep. When he was certain she was comfortably sleeping, Kurai left, still carrying her clothes, and headed straight for the main hall where the other Akatsuki members currently in the base were eating and pursuing their hobbies: it didn't take him long to reach the main hall.

"OROCHIMARU, GET OUT HERE!" Kurai's voice was as loud and menacing as thunder as he came down the stairs from Amaya's room. "YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME! JUST COME OUT AND I'LL KILL YOU QUICKER!" Kurai roared -yes, roared- throughout the base as he sought out the Snake Sannin. Itachi immediately knew he'd been right: Orochimaru had done something to Amaya, and he was intent on finding out what.

"Kurai-san, what has Orochimaru-san done to anger you so?" Itachi asked, while the others all looked on in mild curiosity. In truth Kakuzu, Sasori, Kisame, Deidara, and Zetsu all wanted to know just as badly as Itachi. The new recruit, Hidan, was curious as to what had happened and who the hell it was that was threatening to kill Orochimaru, whom he had only heard of. He was already impressed with whoever the hell it was that was saying he'd kill Orochimaru.

"That twisted son of a bitch Snake raped her if you must know: she's only twelve! Now, I strongly suggest that you quietly step aside while I rip him limb from fucking limb, else I cannot guarantee your safety!" Kurai said as he all but shoved Itachi out of his way as he made for Orochimaru's door. Itachi quickly stepped aside and then he vanished from the base unnoticed by the other members. As his door was literally smashed off of its hinges, Orochimaru simply slipped past the furious fourteen-year-old Rokubi incarnate…or so he thought.

Kurai caught Orochimaru by the right arm and easily lifted him into the arm before slamming him as hard as he could, back first, onto the base's stone floor. The impact caused a human sized crater, approximately four feet deep, and a bloody discharge from Orochimaru's mouth and nose while electricity crackled all along Kurai's body and hair. A few sparks even rippled dangerously off of Orochimaru's injured form as the Snake Sannin leapt away from the searing, poisonous black chakra of Kurai's tailless demon-cloak. It was obvious to the other Akatsuki members present that, even though Orochimaru was older and easily more experienced that his attacker, the Sannin was desperately trying to put distance between them. In other words, Orochimaru was afraid that Kurai would kill him: none of the Akatsuki members knew that Kurai was the Rokubi Incarnate, outside of the Leader and his direct subordinates. Kurai had the most sadistic smirk that any of the Akatsuki members had ever seen on his face as he pointed one single finger at his one-time caretaker: the result was a high-power bolt of blue electricity piercing straight through Orochimaru's chest, missing his vital organs by mere millimeters.

Orochimaru vanished into a large cloud of smoke, and Kurai knew exactly what he had done. Orochimaru had summoned one of his snakes to hide inside and summon to another place, thereby escaping from the threat of Kurai himself. The Rokubi incarnate was not concerned with the flight of the snake, merely with the remaining humans in the base. Turning back to the other Akatsuki members, he snapped irritably at them. "What the fuck is so interesting? This isn't a god-damned free show, so shove the fuck off and mind your own damned business you annoying assholes! I'm currently in the mood to kill, so I suggest you scram before I snap your necks for the fun of it!" Without another word, Kurai made his way back to up to his room, growling low in his throat to show his anger the whole way.

Meanwhile, about two miles away from the base, Itachi was waiting for Orochimaru as the Snake Sannin appeared out of the woods. Orochimaru was severely injured, rapidly nearing the brink of death, and knew that he needed to find a body soon if he was going to be able to use his Immortality jutsu. By some stroke of luck, as if sent by the Gods themselves, here was Itachi Uchiha standing before him: Itachi was alone and just asking for Orochimaru to take his body. Orochimaru had known since Kurai was three years old that he would NEVER be able to take the boy's body and so his twin brother Itachi was the next very best thing. Unfortunately for Orochimaru, Itachi was not going to prove obtainable either: when the Sannin attempted to take over Itachi, the Uchiha simply trapped him in a powerful genjutsu and cut off one of his arms. Unable to continue the fight and live, and equally unable to obtain Itachi or Kurai's bodies, Orochimaru fled: he never returned to Akatsuki.

~Beginning of the fourth week since Amaya's capture~

Kurai gave a huge wolf-like yawn as he stretched out on his bed: Amaya had recovered completely from her recent rape…at least, she had physically recovered. Now, he had given charge of her to Itachi simply because there was little else he could teach her about harnessing the power of her bijuu counterpart: he had chosen Shichibi for reasons of compatibility and potential growth once the bijuu fully assimilated with Amaya. Shichibi had already integrated with her to an astonishing degree, but the fusion was not perfect…at least not yet; it would be perfect all in due time. So, he had shanghaied Itachi into training her in genjutsu, something the girl could stand to improve in and which Kurai had no patience for when it came to playing instructor. So, he had gladly given her to Itachi when his twin offered to help Amaya hone her genjutsu skills: if Itachi wanted to drive himself nuts training that impish girl cub, then Kurai was not going to interfere with his twin's blissful ignorance when it came to Amaya's sporadically sadistic tendencies… And this was the only reason that the Rokubi incarnate was still in bed at one in the afternoon, content to stretch and yawn while grumbling incoherently as to his musings on Itachi's likely -or unlikely- progress with Amaya's training. A slow and sadistic smile crept over his face as Kurai finally roused himself from his nest-like mass of blankets and pillows that was his bed: perhaps he'd go spy on the pair just for the hell of it. He growled as one of his alarms went off: it was one designated for summoning him. All of the other Akatsuki members knew where it was and that if they set it off, he'd come to reset it and chew out whomever set it off unless they had a damn good reason. This was one of the days where he'd snarl at the summoner as a matter of sheer principle: he had been relaxing on a day off and had been planning something that, to him, promised to be pricelessly amusing and eternal blackmail material. Oh, yes…someone was going to feel a healthy dose of the sadistically cranky Kurai.

While Kurai was letting Tobi have a royal ass chewing, Itachi was giving an exasperated sigh as Amaya easily tackled the techniques he assigned her: she had either sucked on purpose to get out from under Kurai…or she was improving her abilities and chakra control at inhuman speeds. Itachi was rapidly beginning to believe the first to be as true as the latter: Amaya may not have excelled at genjutsu and chakra control, but she surely couldn't have been quite as terrible as Kurai had complained. Now, with the Shichibi's abilities and powers merging into her own and her control over these new acquisitions kept increasing, Itachi was certain that she'd improve at unbelievable rates for a while before reaching a point that it mellowed out. He could only guess at how long this rapid-fire increase in ability and power would last, but he hoped for Amaya's sake that it was easy on her, in all aspects, after what Orochimaru had done. He knew that, in six days time, Kurai would be taking her back to Konoha and exchanging her for the ransom money. If Itachi were to be honest wit himself, he liked having her around and didn't really want for her to leave…but she wouldn't be safe within Akatsuki, not when the others figured out who she was and her relationship to not only Itachi himself, but to Kurai and Naruto as well. No, she would go from being a well-guarded secret that all of the Akatsuki members were begrudgingly becoming fond of to a target in less time than it took to blink. It was for the best if she went back to Konoha…even if Itachi didn't want for her to go: she could be his eyes and ears, allowing him to look after Sasuke from a distance. So he trained her and spent the remaining six days he had with her, burning every motion, every scent, every little detail about her into his mind: he did not want to forget anything about her, not even for a second.

Six days flew past, and before Itachi was ready Kurai had slipped a sleeping drug into Amaya's tea before telling his twin to say his goodbyes, because once she fell asleep it was back to Konoha…and farewell Akatsuki. Itachi asked how long it would take for the drugs to kick in and Kurai sighed, saying that Itachi had maybe three hours so he'd better make good use of it.

~An hour later~

A slightly irritated sigh escaped from Amaya as she watched the clock tick by another hour: Kurai was late and, in which case, was almost certainly not going to be taking her back before sunset. Having waited for nearly three hours, Amaya was now completely disinterested in her impromptu Akatsuki guardian's return and decided to seek out another's company, namely Itachi or Deidara. She soon found Deidara, but he was preoccupied with Sasori and therefore inaccessible to her: she would not be able to have a final artists' war with the mad bomber. Becoming more agitated, she once again sought out Itachi…and this time she found him. She knocked on the library door and was secretly delighted when he bade her enter. He was sitting on the windowsill, reading a book that she did not recognize. When Itachi did not look up to see who his visitor was, Amaya simply took a seat on the edge of the bench that was nearest him and leaned casually against the wall.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready to go home, Amaya-chan?" When he spoke, Itachi's voice was as it always was: calm, collected, and outwardly cold. Amaya knew better than to take it personally and smiled as she shook her head.

"No, because I don't want to go." Itachi hid his surprise and kept his demeanor impassive as Amaya inched onto the sill next to him, looking over the top of the book in an effort to see what it was about. "So, what are you reading Itachi?" She had long since become comfortable with sitting shoulder to shoulder with Itachi, who merely raised an eyebrow at her. He wasn't willing to admit that he was slightly curious as to why she wanted to stay. He gave her a rare smile as he showed her the book.

"It is about the history of Konoha: this book tells about the founders' original clans and how Konoha came to be what it is today. It also tells about the Kyuubi attack and Yondaime Hokage's sacrifice to seal Kyuubi into the newborn Naruto Uzumaki; it's like a life story on the Hokages, including Yondaime-sama, which is why I am reading it to be honest." Amaya tilted her head to one side, a strange look in her eyes as she thought about what Itachi had said.

:_Naruto Uzumaki…why does that cause me to feel so…horrible? I've heard it somewhere…even before I was told about the Fourth and the Kyuubi attack. And why does it bring an image of a man riding a huge toad fighting a huge fox to mind as if I was there?_: The mention of the Kyuubi attack brought an unfamiliar and painful tightness to her chest that she did not at all like. Finally she shrugged in an attempt to rid herself of the feeling, unaware that Itachi had been watching her intently. She was quite startled as a single tear rolled down her cheek: she hadn't realized she was crying. Itachi reached out, almost hesitantly, to cup her cheek and rub away the tear with his thumb. At that moment, it felt as if Itachi could see into Amaya's very soul, searching out each and every detail that made her who she was.

"Amaya-chan…what is it that causes you to smile, even though you're shattering inside?" Itachi's gaze was captivating, pinning her without even trying. Briefly, she feared that she had been ensnared by a genjutsu but it quickly became obvious to her that it wasn't the case this time. Realizing that he was asking in earnest, she decided that she would answer him as best as she could.

"I think…that I've seen Kyuubi before but I cannot be certain. I keep seeing this monster fox with nine tails in my dreams and then I see the faces…so many faces." Amaya shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself as tightly as she could. "It causes this horrible feeling in my chest… A feeling like my heart…" With a shudder, she let the words go unspoken as Itachi gave a mild sigh and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Like your heart is going to burst, is that what you were going to say?" Itachi held her as she allowed herself to relax into his chest, nodding. With another sigh, Itachi gently stroked her hair until she calmed down. They remained that way for nearly an hour, at which point Itachi noticed that she had fallen asleep. With yet another sigh and the faintest of smiles touching his lips, Itachi lifted her into his arms and carried her back to her own room, passing Deidara, Zetsu, and Hidan on the way.

"Hey Itachi-san, what'd you do to Amaya-chan, un?!" Deidara asked, his mind jumping to the wrong conclusions. The young Iwa-nin promptly got smacked upside the head by Zetsu.

"**Just shut up, Deidara!** Itachi-san probably didn't do anything to her at all." Zetsu said irritably yet reasonably. Seemingly as an afterthought, he added, "Oh, and Kurai is heading this way Itachi. He'll probably be here within an hour, **so you might want to put her in her room and get out of there damn quick.**"

"Yeah, cause if Amaya-chan is asleep, she can't stop him from kicking your ass this time!" Hidan said with a callous chuckle. Itachi simply glared at the trio, effectively silencing them. He then took Amaya upstairs and into her own room, where he lay her on her bed for Kurai to collect. Itachi had never been inside Amaya's room and had never seen Amaya sleeping. But now that he had seen her deeply asleep, he was caught entirely off-guard by her. A soft smile touched his lips and even reached his eyes as he looked down at the fiery-gold hair that spread out across the bed…. If she always looked this fragile to Kurai, then he could well understand why his wolfish twin was so protective of her. Despite the fact that he was callous and cruel in all other things, Kurai readily protected Amaya. Itachi had no choice but to admit that Kurai's devotion to Amaya was something he admired, since it was not entirely unlike himself.

"Sleep and be at peace…Amaya-hime." Itachi whispered as he gently kissed Amaya's forehead. "Always listen to your heart…it won't lead you astray like people will…" Itachi said sadly…knew why she was so precious to him now… And he intended to keep the knowledge to himself: he was starting to fall in love with her. Quickly and soundlessly, Itachi left without looking back.

~May 26th, twelve years after the Kyuubi attack~

Amaya was idly wandering through the streets of Konoha, heading towards the Yamanaka's Flower shop but with no real desire to get there. Hatori was off on a solo-mission in Wave Country and Tsuchino had offered to help her Uncle Inoichi out at the shop. So, Amaya was left to her own devices since the Third had not let her out of Konoha without at least one undercover ANBU on a team with her. She had been cooped up in Konoha for the last six months with only a couple of short excursions into the outer Fire Country towns and villages: she wanted desperately to be able to go outside of the Country and slip away from the shinobi that kept her under lock and key. She wanted to get free of them and go search for Itachi…to spend time with him like she had two years ago and before the Uchiha Massacre. Now, fifteen-year-old Amaya Moritaka -that was to say, Amaya Namikaze- often found herself keeping a distant but strict eye on Sasuke. Such was the case today; Amaya had decided to sit in on one of Iruka's lessons at the Academy in order to keep an eye on Sasuke and out of interest in the Uzumaki boy. Sitting in the back of the classroom, she had discreetly disguised herself as a student by removing her hitae and Chûnin vest to fully reveal her trademark red jumpsuit, adorned with a black flame pattern on the hems of the pant legs and sleeves. Her jumpsuit was long sleeved and zipped up in the front with a button flap to hide the zipper: she currently was wearing it with the top half shrugged off and tied around her waist with the long sleeves, revealing a long-sleeved fishnet shirt and a black tank top with red clouds on it. She knew that there were few in Konoha who would connect that the pattern of her tank top was identical to Akatsuki's cloaks, but she didn't care: by wearing the tank top, she was showing her support for Itachi's decisions and actions even if nobody else knew that was what it meant. Her hitae was hidden in one of the many cargo pockets on her jumpsuit while she had left her vest sitting by Iruka's desk: she could keep an eye on it and yet nobody would know whose it was.

Her long fire-gold hair was pulled back in her traditional bun with stray locks and bangs framing her face, a matching pair of matching decorative chopsticks and a simple red ribbon keeping the unruly tresses in place. Iruka noticed her but wisely said nothing as his real students began to file in: she watched as Tsuchino's young cousin, Ino, came in and instantly began fawning all over Sasuke with a pink-haired girl…and every other girl in the class. Sasuke just ignored them point-blank and she snickered at how like Itachi he was acting by behaving so. Of course, she highly doubted that Sasuke knew how his older brother had behaved in his Academy days: she herself gave out plenty of threats as a few of the boys began to hit on her. At fifteen, she had reached her full physical maturity earlier than most girls her age: she had a well curved and full figure while coming in at five foot six and a solid one hundred and twenty-six pounds of lean muscle and very little fat, give or take a few ounces. She was still a tomboy, but she was starting to mellow out and act more like a girl the older she got: Hatori teased her that if she didn't stop acting like a butch, she'd never get a boyfriend. Of course, with a figure like hers she couldn't get the boys to leave her alone even if more than half of them were scared shitless of her: she was a pleasing 34-D and even though she had full hips, her underwear and pant size was a four. Sumomo Moritaka -Hatori's mother and the woman she believed to be her own mother- often told her that she had the classic hourglass figure. Given her fine features paired with a smooth and slightly tanned complexion, she was a teenaged knockout. For her body type and size, Amaya was perfectly proportioned in every way. Add on the fact that she was the only girl for miles with hair like hers' and she was quite a young beauty to behold. Amaya knew that she was pretty, but she didn't care what these boys thought: only two males had any value when it came to their opinions in her mind. Those two were none other than Itachi and Kurai, whom she had begrudgingly come to appreciate for his harsh training in how to control Shichibi now that she was older and had mostly fused minds with the bijuu as well as bodies and powers.

She watched as the mass group of eleven- and twelve-year-olds that made up Iruka's current class practiced the henge technique: they would be able to take the graduation exam soon, though as far as she could tell the standards had dropped a bit in the five years since she'd made genin. She'd made Chûnin a few weeks before her twelfth birthday, not by exam but by promotion from Konoha's Council: shortly afterwards, she'd been assigned to replace Iruka on Hatori and Tsuchino's team. Only six months after making Chûnin, she'd been captured by Akatsuki and had been held for ransom while Kurai had implanted the Shichibi into her. After four months of living and training with Akatsuki, Amaya had been returned to Konoha and had not heard from Kurai or Itachi again. But she had promised to keep an eye on Sasuke for Itachi, so here she was: watching as the lad did a perfect henge without even really trying. A little flare went off in her head, however, as Iruka called Naruto Uzumaki: not only did the name and face of the boy cause a weird stirring in her, but her inherited senses from fusing with Shichibi were screaming that something was odd about the kid…something that smelled like a fox. Since Shichibi was a vixen, it only made sense that she would recognize the scent of a male of her own kind. Amaya watched Naruto with renewed interest: he had rather poor chakra control…even worse than hers' had ever been, and so he failed to properly complete the henge. She would just bet that if he found the right jutsus, the boy would be great and improve rapidly. A tapping on the window distracted everyone and Iruka went to open it: everyone stared as a crow flew in the now open window and landed on the desk in front of Amaya.

"So much for not getting noticed or found…" She sighed as Iruka raised an amused eyebrow. "Oh shove off Iru-niisan…I wasn't ditching a mission, I was just checking out the genin hopefuls. Sarutobi-sama asked me to watch Sasuke-kun and the Uzumaki twerp, since I knew Itachi so well and all…" Amaya rose and, took the message from the crow's leg as she walked to the front of the class, earned the stares of every student when the crow perched on her shoulder. Iruka shook his head and sighed as he handed her Chûnin vest to her. Amaya was privately pleased: though she hadn't opened the message, she knew only one person who would send her a crow…Itachi.

"Hatori is probably back and looking for you, Amaya-chan… You shouldn't worry your brother like this." Iruka scolded her, his tone gentle and brotherly, as she pulled her jumpsuit up and zipped it, replacing her Chûnin vest before answering her brother's former teammate and her own former teacher.

"Oh, its all right Iru-niisan…we're just planning on kidnapping you after classes and taking you out for your birthday today. Kakashi-san has even agreed to stop pestering Hatori for that new book Tsuchi got him in light of your birthday. Oh, and I was supposed to tell you that I've been made Jounin and will be taking a student soon…unless Sarutobi-sama decides to send me to Kumo after all. Anyway, I'm going over to the Yamanaka's to pick up Tsuchino, but I'll be back for you later." Amaya turned to look at all of the students and inwardly smiled: only a handful of them would fit her requirements to be her student. Without even thinking about it, she walked over to Sasuke, who merely ignored her like he did all the other girls. She chuckled, catching his attention: when he looked up at her in annoyance, she leaned over and pressed a soft kiss onto his forehead. "That's a present from someone who loves you: think of it as a good luck token Sasuke-kun." Turning to Naruto, she ruffled the blonde's hair affectionately: she knew that he didn't remember all the times she'd stood up for him. She kissed Naruto's forehead as well and whispered in his ear, very softly. "Don't believe what people tell you… Someone once told me that if you listen to your heart and not other people, you'll do fine: its good advice." Straightening up, Amaya smiled before vanishing with only a slightly earthy smell and a small mark on the floor where her boot had scuffed as evidence that she'd even been real. Naruto and Sasuke were both flabbergasted, though only Naruto was showing it: Iruka could only try not to laugh at the uproar Amaya had knowingly caused by kissing the two of them, purposely, in front of every other student. One was the brother of her dearest childhood friend and the other, though she and the other youths didn't know it, was her own younger brother. Fate truly was such a strange and sadistic thing…


	5. Alias: Golden Flashfire

**SPOILER WARNING!** For anyone who has not read Chapter 363 or higher of the Naruto Manga, the coming chapters of P2K contains spoilers as to the names and identities of some characters(i.e. Tobi, Hachibi Jinchuuriki, Pein, etc.). It will also contain some OOC actions for certain characters from the original Naruto anime/manga, such as Sasuke Uchiha and others.

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Promises to Keep, Chapter Five: Alias - Golden Flashfire

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Amaya finally got a chance to read the message the crow had delivered as she was walking towards Ichiraku's: Tsuchino had agreed to meet her there for lunch. Opening the small scroll, she smiled to see the familiar handwriting of Itachi and Kurai: it never ceased to amaze her how the two of them had almost identical handwriting. The message was short and to the point, but it still made her laugh.

Amaya-hime,

Our sources say that you have been doing well and are a Jounin now: this is a cause for celebration. So, we've decided upon a present for you: go to the Uchiha Compound at midnight on May twenty-sixth to receive it. One of us will meet you there.

Heaven and earth,

†Kurai Rokue†

†Itachi Uchiha†

Still smiling, Amaya walked into Ichiraku's and quickly found Tsuchino's dark head and pastel colored clothes: the older kunoichi was a walking contradiction as far as the hues of her clothing and hair went. Her dark hair and blue eyes were sharply contrasted by the soft pink and cream colors that she always wore. Amaya was the exact opposite from Tsuchino: her fire-gold hair shimmered with even the barest hint of light and her bright blue-green eyes, which were actually more green than blue, always stood out in a crowd but were augmented by her choice of clothing: she wore a long-sleeved, red jumpsuit with black flames on the ends of the sleeves and pants, after all. Having her Chûnin vest on over it did mellow the presentation a bit, but not much, or so she was told. Either way, everyone in Konoha knew who she was and noticed when she was milling about in the village…but then, by the same token they knew when she was away by the absence of her bright hair and red jumpsuit. She had started wearing her current outfit regularly about a year previously and was quickly becoming known as "Konoha's Flashfire" for the fact that both she and flash fires were beautiful but incredibly lethal. A flash fire was characterized by high-temperatures, shock waves, a short-duration, and a rapidly moving flame front. Flash fires killed in several ways: thermal radiation, secondary fires, and -the quickest and most painful, yet the cleanest and most intimidating- when the super-heated air burned the lungs of the victims like rice-paper and caused asphyxiation. She wasn't sure why the villagers and her enemies had chosen to use 'Flashfire' but she would bet it had something to do with her hair and her personality, but most likely with the way in which she killed her targets and enemies: quickly, soundlessly, and painfully. She was also proving to be extremely good at getting desired information out of targets or captured shinobi: if she wanted to know something, she found it out and then she killed them…unless she was explicitly ordered to keep them alive. Amaya sighed as she took the seat Tsuchino had been saving for her, forcing her unusual train of thought to come to a grinding halt.

"Amaya-chan, where have you been? I was waiting for nearly twenty minutes!" Tsuchino said exasperatedly, looking over the girl that everyone knew as her younger sister by means of her marriage to Hatori Moritaka. "Never mind…I think I know: Iruka's class again?" Amaya did not answer, only gave her an impish look and stuck out her tongue: Tsuchino made an 'uh-huh' noise and clucked her own tongue in mild disapproval and amusement. "_You better put that tongue back in your head unless you know to use it and intend to do so._" Amaya's heart stopped as she heard the voice: it was male and she knew it instinctively… But when she turned around there was nobody there, much less the person to whom the voice belonged. Shaking her head and blinking, she turned back towards the bar to find Tsuchino giving her a critical gaze…as if she had utterly lost her mind. "Amaya-chan…are you feeling alright?" Tsuchino was genuinely concerned, bless her, and put a hand on the younger girl's forehead as if to check for fever.

"I'm fine Ane-ue…I just thought I heard someone calling me is all. It's nothing, really." Amaya said as Teuchi placed their bowls in front of them: Tsuchino had taken the liberty of ordering Amaya's favorite for her when ordering her own. Though Tsuchino did not seem convinced, she did drop the subject in light of a new one.

"So, how promising do the genin hopefuls seem to you? Isn't Sasuke among this years' class?" Amaya frowned as she stopped mid-way through her bowl of ramen, unintentionally answering Tsuchino's question. "So he is…and you have been watching his progress like a mother hen ever since you came back from being kidnapped: Hatori and I are not stupid, you know." Tsuchino smiled kindly at her, reaching out one hand to stroke a stray hair from her face. "We know that while you were gone, something happened and you fell in love. We just don't know who it is yet…but we have an idea. We know more than you think, Hatori and I…about you and about them. One day, you should ask those who would speak the truth: what you learn just might shock you." Amaya gave the elder kunoichi a curious look: what on earth was Tsuchino talking about…? "One day, it'll all make sense to you. Until then, I cannot tell you anything because you either would not believe me or you would misinterpret the meaning. Now, I have to get back to Uncle Inoichi's shop: what will you do for the next two hours until the party?"

"I was thinking I might seek an audience with Sandaime-sama: I am hoping to discuss his views on sending me to Kumo. I know that he won't send me without some form of escort, at the very least he'll make you and Hatori go with me…if not a pair of ANBU. What I don't get is this: why am I, a regular fifteen-year-old Jounin, kept under such strict lock and key? I mean aside from the whole 'pay the ransom or she dies' incident…what makes me so damn important? Ah, well I guess it doesn't really matter. I'll see you after I pick up Iru-niisan, Ane-ue!" Without another word, Amaya took off towards Hokage Tower and the crow, which had been patiently waiting outside Ichiraku's, flew above her to keep watch over her. She knew that the crow would follow her nonstop until Itachi called it back and so she did not mind having it hover around her like some sort of personal guardian. As she was dashing through the streets -and over the rooftops in some cases- she spotted Iruka's class: he appeared to have let them out early. Her mind registered a flash of yellow and her body detoured before she could process the action: it was the Uzumaki boy, Naruto. He was sitting alone, on the swing that she had always sat on when waiting for Hatori to come pick her up…but no one would come for Naruto; she knew that all too well, just as she knew that Sasuke was going home to an empty apartment. One that he had rented just outside of the Uchiha Compound. She decided to watch, unnoticed, as parents came to collect their children or the kids were wandering off to enjoy themselves before dark. Taking up a perch in the massive tree from which the swing hung, she watched as all of the other kids left until only Sasuke and Naruto were left. Sasuke cast a single cursory glance at Naruto before heading towards his empty apartment: Amaya deftly made one of her own earthen clones to follow him while she herself kept an interested eye on Naruto. She watched the boy all the way back to his apartment where he fell onto his bed with a depressed sigh.

"No money for food…no food in the place…and an empty stomach…" Amaya heard him mumble into his bed while his stomach gave a horrible growl. She didn't even have to think about it as she slipped in the already slightly ajar window and placed a fair amount of money on his nightstand, making a point to make a lot of noise as she slipped back out the window. Hearing the noise, Naruto jumped up and demanded to know who was there: no one answered him and, as he made to flop back onto his bed, he saw the money with a small note pinned to it…

Naruto-kun,

Get yourself some food and anything else you need or want. Don't worry about finding me to pay me back; consider it an early birthday present from a very close friend. I'll always be watching you, so if you need to find me, just look for Flashfire and you can't miss me.

Flashfire

"Who…?" He asked softly as he picked up the money and examined the note. "Flashfire, huh? I wonder who Flashfire really is..." He frowned before breaking into a huge smile. "Well, they said to get the stuff I need and some chow, so Ichiraku's it is! Thank you Flashfire!" Amaya smiled as she watched the younger boy dart back out of the apartment and silently slipped away towards Hokage Tower: her earthen clone would join her later, when she went to the Uchiha Compound at midnight. For now, she really did need to talk to Sandaime-sama about the proposed mission to Kumogakure.

~Early evening, May 26th, Kumogakure~

Kurai sneezed violently as he was walking through Kumogakure: he had the distinct impression that someone was talking about him. After all, he had come to meet with the Raikage as an emissary from the Third Hokage, because even though the council had listed him as dead, he was still one of Konoha's most highly decorated ANBU to have ever served under the Third and Fourth Hokages. This meant that when the Third sent a private and intricately coded -not to mention booby trapped- message to Kurai via his own personal summon, Enma, then it was something that Kurai could not refuse to take. So here he was in Kumogakure…in the rain, no less…preparing to make a big scene and be captured to gain entrance to the Raikage's office. Not his favorite pastime, but orders were orders and he was still loyal to Konoha only because he held the same beliefs as the Fourth: an unshakable Will of Fire and the desire to believe that even when the world looks hopeless, there is still good in it somewhere…you just have to know where to look and how to find it. That meant being willing to do what was necessary to protect it once you found it…and he _had_ found it: in the new generations of Konoha, in Naruto and his age group, but mostly in Amaya Namikaze, the one and only daughter of Minato and Kushina, who had been raised by her aunt and cousin as a Moritaka. He chuckled as he thought of what kind of a display she'd make when she remembered who she was and turned on all those people who had hid the truth from her: he would be willing to pay any sum to see **that** particular set of fireworks. Shaking his head in amusement, he prepared to set of the large array of minimal damage explosive tags he'd set up around his current location like a flaming arrow that screamed, 'Right this way to the culprit ladies and gentlemen!' Indeed, he and Amaya both had a bit of an inclination to be dramatic. "Ah, well…enough musing. Time to get to work." He murmured just as the small-scale chain of explosions began to go off all around him.

As he'd predicted, it didn't take long for Kumogakure's version of ANBU to start showing up: he just sat casually on the fountain in the middle of the expanding ring of explosions, which was rapidly spreading out into the village like a blooming rose, twirling a kunai in one hand and smiling with his feral fangs gleaming in the firelight. He saw the ten Kumogakure Armored Ninjutsu Elites, or KANE, members freeze as a few of them placed his face from bingo books: he may be dead as Kurai Rokue, Jounin of Konoha, but his title and alias as 'Black Death' carried a massive bounty. Since he'd left Konoha to tail Orochimaru when he was nine, he'd been earning a reputation for killing without discrimination or mercy: if you tried to stop him or get in his way, you died. He'd gotten the title of 'Black Death' because of his black chakra: it didn't matter what form it took, his chakra was always black in color and that was something that was undeniably unique and worthy of notice. When he'd been younger and less integrated with Rokubi's consciousness, his chakra had been more of a dark blue color… But the older he got and the more fused his consciousness and that of Rokubi became, the blacker his chakra had become. Now it was his only identifying attribute that he could not mask or disguise: there was no other way to tell if it was him that you were fighting or somebody else that was just imitating his style. He was allowing his tailless demon cloak to cover him in his own black chakra, which was as good as leaving a note in his own blood saying that he was Black Death and that it was him who'd just put holes in every building within a fifty yard radius of the fountain he was sitting on.

"That's the Black Death! Kill him and he's worth ten thousand; alive and its fifty thousand in Konoha!" This came from one of the KANE members: Kurai snarled as he rose from his perch.

"So the Council will pay fifty thousand for me alive, huh? Reassuring since the only way they'll see me alive is right before I rip out their fucking throats." All of the KANE members took cautious steps back when he stood, tensing in case he should attempt to strike…not that any of them would be able to stop him if he did. "Look, you're all KANE…I used to be like you, but for a different village. Now I come from Sandaime Hokage with a message for your Raikage, so I strongly suggest you take me to him or I'll start using stronger explosives until I get him out here personally. I don't think he'd like that, do you?" The KANE members glanced at each other nervously before reaching a silent consensus: take him or he will just kill us all and find the Raikage himself.

"Very well, Black Death…we will take you. However, if you try anything we will kill you: if we do not kill you, others will hunt you down and do so where we failed." Said the one who appeared to be the leader of the group: Kurai decided that he liked her. She had a pleasant voice and a firm tone: this one was strong and knew it, judging from the confidence that filled her very demeanor from start to finish. Ten minutes later found Kurai sitting in the Raikage's office, warming himself by a large fireplace, while the female KANE who had accompanied him into the office kept a critical eye on his every move: she was the one who'd said that if he tried anything, Kumo shinobi would have him dead, be it now or in the future. Somehow, seventeen-year-old Kurai was certain that she'd meant every syllable of the latent threat within the promise. He scented a bijuu from this woman…Nibi no Nekomata, unless he was mistaken. So, Kumo held the Nibi Jinchuuriki did they? That was interesting, since he could also faintly detect the scent of another bijuu, one that was far more interesting on any given day. He could smell Hachibi, and the Jinchuuriki was coming closer with every passing second.

"This had better be fucking important!" The door to the Raikage's office was thrown wide open and in strode the Raikage, still adjusting his clothing from hurriedly dressing no doubt, accompanied by another man…who was the source of the Hachibi's scent. The Raikage stopped as he spotted Kurai and, after staring at each other for a few moments, the Raikage let out a deep laugh as he took the few feet between them in a few steps to clap Kurai heartily on the back. "Kurai Rokue! Gods above boy, how you've grown! I remember the first time the Hokage sent you here you were barely more than a lad! How long has it been? Six, no seven, years?"

"Seven, Raikage-sama…and I do not believe that I have changed beyond recognition: I am still the only person in known existence with black chakra, after all." Kurai chuckled good-naturedly: he had always liked the Raikage, bear of a man that he was, and he suddenly understood who the man beside him was as his nose informed him that they were brothers. "However, you should know better than to send your Jinchuuriki out to greet me: I know their scents now and I will be able to find them from quite a ways off now. That one, she is the vessel for Nibi no Nekomata. Your brother here is the vessel for Hachibi, whom I am honored to finally meet again after so long. Forgive me, I realize that my actions are amiss my name is Kurai Rokue and I… I am the Rokubi." He could see the shock on the faces of the Raikage's brother and the woman, who had taken her mask off when Raikage had silently instructed her to do so.

"You have no fear, Kurai…which can be both good and bad. Yuugito could do with a lesson or two from you! However, you should perhaps be more cautious before announcing yourself to the world like that." Raikage said as he took his seat behind his desk.

"Hardly; I see no threat in telling you, who fiercely protects two Jinchuuriki and have known my name and face for years, or in telling them. I come to tell you that Sandaime will be sending a three-man cell to you: this cell will consist of Amaya Moritaka, Hatori Moritaka, and Tsuchino Sanada. Hatori is a Special Jounin and will act as ambassador here in Kumo during Chûnin exams and such for the next three years. Tsuchino is his wife and she is also a Special Jounin: both of them excel in interrogation and torture, by the way. The real reason I was sent, however, is Amaya. She is the younger sister of Hatori Moritaka, but more importantly, she is related to the Yondaime Hokage; how is of no consequence at this time. All you need to know is that she is precious not only to Sandaime, but to me. She is also the holder of the Shichibi no Kitsune and, as such, has vast abilities over earth techniques: if she wanted to, she could level all of Kumogakure and Konohagakure without much effort. Luckily for us, she hasn't tried something quite so massive yet: she has only been a Jinchuuriki for three years and has not fully mastered all of her bijuu's power. I have come to personally ask that she be trained by your Jinchuuriki during her stay and for her absences, which there will be several of, to not be reported to Konoha. She will be leaving to meet with myself and another for training to protect herself from those who would harm her." Kurai now dropped his cheery external attitude and became serious, which worried the others a bit. "This last part comes from me and me alone: Akatsuki is dangerous, especially to Jinchuuriki. Be wary of them and avoid their notice as long as you can; I will try to steer them away from Kumo, but I can only keep them from finding you for so long." As soon as he finished speaking, Kurai vanished and left the three Kumo shinobi in utter silence and mild confusion.

~Just before midnight, May 26th, Konoha~

Being fifteen had advantages and disadvantages: Amaya had been able to leave the party early without raising any suspicions by saying that she was going home to sleep. The disadvantage was that she would have to make up an excuse for her mother as to her absence from home that was not only viable, but which could be supported when questioned about it. So far, she had only been able to come up with one possibility: Sandaime had asked her to keep an eye on Sasuke tonight but without the young Uchiha's knowledge. That could not only be listed as a mission, which would excuse her from talking about specific details, but could easily be supported because the Hokage had given her a mission…just not the one she was going to tell her family he had. He had told her that she would be going to Kumogakure with Hatori and Tsuchino in four days' time…and that she would not be returning to Konoha for the next three years. If Itachi was going to meet her tonight, she had to tell him about this: who was going to keep an eye on Sasuke and Naruto while she was gone? She knew she could trust Iruka with Naruto, but what would happen when Naruto was beyond Iruka's watchful eye? Perhaps she could find out who their Jounin instructors would be…the graduation exam was scheduled for the following afternoon, which meant that Jounin instructors would be assigned two days before she left. Yes, that was what she'd do: she would demand the names of Sasuke and Naruto's instructors and beat Iruka to a pulp to get them if necessary. Then she would convince the instructors to send her updates on their progress and notify her immediately if anything happened to either of them so she could return to Konoha…posthaste. But right now, she had to get to the Uchiha Compound and find any sign that Itachi either had been there or was going to be there: she soon noticed that the crow, which had followed her all day, now began to pull on her clothes and hair if she didn't go the same way it did…

"You're leading me to him, aren't you Tengu?" She had nicknamed the crow Tengu as a joke: it was extremely intelligent and reminded her of all the legends she'd heard about Tengu, who sometimes took the form of crows as disguises. If Itachi was willing to let her, she intended to keep the bird as a pet. The bird just made a soft caw before landing on the gate to the Uchiha Main house: the house where Sasuke and Itachi had grown up…the house where Itachi had killed his parents four years previously. "He's in there, isn't he? Alright, Tengu…I'm going right over that gate so you better move it!" Amaya muttered at the bird as she took a running leap and soared over the gate, landing without a sound on the porch roof. The crow squawked at her again and began to hop around on the sill of Itachi's old bedroom window, so Amaya decided that she must need to wait for Itachi in his room. She opted for the more traditional method of entry, however, and flipped herself down onto the porch to go in through the front door. She was surprised to find it unlocked and pushed it open with the barest of touches, while dust swirled up and around her, causing her to stifle a sneeze. Waving her hand in front of her face to clear the air a bit, she shut the door as silently as she'd opened it and made her way upstairs to Itachi's room. This door was locked, as she imagined the window was and as she'd expected the front door to be. It was simply to pick the small array of complex locks, however, and she slid the door open a moment later: the room was empty, but sitting on the bed was a beautiful cedar wood chest. Cautiously walking over to it, Amaya ran her fingers over the smooth surface of the small chest: no dust marred the intricate and delicate carvings…this had only been put there recently, within a few hours she would guess.

"Open it; I promise it isn't a trap." Amaya whirled, her heart jumping into her throat, as Itachi spoke from the doorway. He was standing there, just as impassive as always, in his Akatsuki cloak: he had apparently been waiting somewhere inside the house for her, which explained the unlocked front door. Smiling, Amaya did as he instructed and lifted the lid of the chest to reveal a jumpsuit identical to the one she wore, but with a change in the colors: instead of being red with black flames, it was white with fiery-gold flames. There was also a coat like the one the Yondaime wore but with the same colors as the new jumpsuit and with Golden Flashfire written on the back in gold. She picked up each article of clothing and stared at them, at an utter loss for words. "Kurai and I thought that these would suit you better than that red and black outfit you've taken to wearing: you should wear something brighter, to accentuate your beauty rather than hide it under dark colors. Wearing dark colors tends to give the impression of hostility, depression, pessimism, and just a plain sense of somberness: none of which describe you or do you any justice. You are a calm, cheerful person Amaya-hime. It's true that you have a nasty temper sometimes, but more than anything you're just the type of person who takes life one day at a time. You are not someone who should wear red, black, or any other dark color without a special occasion calling for it." He raised an eyebrow at her as she giggled while trying to stop the tears that slid down her cheeks. "Why are you crying?"

"Because…I'm trying not to laugh!" She giggled again and he frowned at her: sometimes, he couldn't understand her at all. "Oh, but Itachi!" She suddenly did a complete 180, going from happy to distressed: it alarmed Itachi at how quickly her mood could shift. "Sandaime-sama is sending me to Kumogakure on a three-year mission! I leave in four days! Who will keep an eye on Sasuke and Naruto while I'm gone?!" Now that Itachi had heard the reason for her distress, he could well understand it. This could indeed prove problematic…

"I know that the Genin exam will be soon…you have been watching them: do you think they'll pass?" Itachi asked bluntly and with little emotion betraying his thoughts.

"Sasuke will have no problem acing that stupid test…but Naruto probably won't pass it. If he doesn't then I won't worry because Iruka will watch out for him…but if he does then he'll be put on a genin team and that means missions and such! What if something happens to them, Itachi?" Amaya sat on the bed in defeat, heedless of the dust the action kicked up. Tears in her eyes, this time from worry and fear, Amaya stared at the floor. "I don't understand why I'm so worried about that Uzumaki boy, Itachi… For some reason though, I just couldn't bear it if he gets hurt!" She looked up only to find Itachi had gone; but then, she hadn't really expected him to stick around after she told him what he wanted to know. Sniffing and sneezing again, she repacked her gifts for advancing to Jounin back into the chest and left the Uchiha Compound, locking every door behind her as she went.

~Two days later, outside Iruka's classroom~

Amaya was sitting on the roof outside the open window of Iruka's classroom, listening as Iruka addressed the newest batch of genin…which included not only Sasuke Uchiha, but Naruto Uzumaki.

"Starting today, all of you are real shinobi…but you are still genin. The hard journey that lies ahead has just started. Soon, you will go on missions to help the village. So today we are going to create three man teams from among you genin…and each team will have a Jounin instructor." She could hear a few groans as Iruka said this bit. "You will obey your instructor's directions in order to successfully complete the missions to which your team is assigned. We tried to arrange you so that each team is composed of three shinobi who balance and complement each other's skills. In short, we tried to set it up so that each team is well-balanced and of equal strength when compared to the other genin teams. So, let's begin. Team One is…" Amaya waited as the list kept going and neither Sasuke nor Naruto were given a team. Then, as Iruka moved on to Team Seven, her interest gained new life as she remembered that Kakashi had been on team seven. As had Yondaime Hokage and Jiraiya-sama: Kakashi generally took a team, but so far had never passed a single student and all of them had gone back to the Academy to study for another year. Perhaps they would give Sasuke to Kakashi, since Kakashi had a Sharingan eye…but would Sasuke and his team pass Kakashi's bell test? Asuma had been her instructor for the brief six months she'd been a genin and he had told her that he used the same type of test that his father, the Third Hokage, had used and which Kakashi also employed: the bell test. Briefly, she wondered if Asuma would use the bell test on his new genin team, for he would surely get one out of this lot.

"Team seven is Sakura Haruno," Amaya vaguely remembered that Sakura was the pink-haired girl who had been best friends with Tsuchino's cousin, Ino. She gave a slight sigh of annoyance as she waited for the rest of team seven to be named. "Naruto Uzumaki," She heard Naruto give a loud 'Yeah!' "And Sasuke Uchiha." Relief flooded through her, causing her to completely ignore the ruckus unfolding inside the classroom at this announcement of team seven's members. They were on the same team, so she'd only have to convince one Jounin to send her updates instead of two: this made her life marginally simpler. "Ok, this afternoon, we'll introduce your Jounin instructors. Until then, take a break!" Amaya nearly fell off the roof as Iruka said this: she would have to wait until this afternoon?! Oh, no…she was going to find out before then even if she had to strip-search Iruka for the list of instructors and their teams. She patiently waited until Iruka was alone in the classroom before dropping down and into the room through the open window.

"Iru-niisan, I have to talk to you…NOW." She stated calmly, causing Iruka to jump out of his skin.

"Amaya-chan, don't DO that!" Iruka clutched at his heart, obviously surprised to find the fifteen-year-old kunoichi standing in his classroom without him having noticed her sooner. He suddenly became calm and blinked at her, looking her over from head to toe. "Amaya-chan, where did you get those clothes?" She had forgotten that this was the first time she'd worn the jumpsuit and cloak that Itachi and Kurai had given her: Iruka was floored by the sudden and forceful resemblance she bore to the Fourth Hokage. Her knee-length fire-gold hair was pulled up in an odd ponytail that allowed some of the locks to fall freely onto and around her shoulders while her bangs did what they usually did. With the new outfit and hairstyle, she looked very much like a female version of the late Yondaime, but with some obvious differences: her hair was not a straight golden blond and was much longer than the Fourth's had been, as well as the fact that her coat was adorned with fiery-gold flames and gold writing rather than red flames and writing. Other than that, she could have passed for a damn good female look-a-like. Iruka knew that she looked more like her mother than her father, but at that moment he would have sworn that she was the embodiment of Minato Namikaze. He, like the others who had known her and her real parents before the Kyuubi attack, knew the truth about Amaya but were forbidden from talking about it to anyone who hadn't been there or didn't remember, such as Amaya herself. Rousing himself from his mute shock, Iruka found Amaya giving him a look that said she thought there was something seriously wrong with him. "I'm sorry, Amaya-chan…its just that you look so different dressed like that…"

"Yeah, well like I said, they were a present from some very close friends for getting promoted to Jounin. Now, back to the _real_ reason for my scaring you half to death: who is the Jounin instructor over Team Seven?" Amaya allowed her annoyance at having to wait through the entire delegation of teams before being able to ask this question to show.

"You were sitting out on the roof, weren't you?" Iruka asked with a sheepish smile and a chuckle. "So you want to know who gets Sasuke, huh? Or is it Naruto you're worried about…?"

"How did you know…?" Amaya sputtered indignantly, cross at having been found out so easily.

"It can't be Sakura-chan that you're worried about; you don't even know the girl! Why should you care who gets her, huh? You don't, so stop being a brat about it! As for your question, Kakashi Hatake is in charge of Team Seven. Don't worry; I have confidence in those three. They'll be just fine with Kakashi, you'll see. Now you go on, get out of here and enjoy your last two days in Konoha! Go get some Ichiraku's or something! Shoo!" Amaya glared at him, but did as Iruka suggested with the feeling of worry neatly sliced in half…but still lingering in the depths of her heart no matter how hard she tried to shake it. So, she decided to hang around and see how Kakashi would get on with the newly formed Team Seven…but this time, she was NOT going to sit outside on the roof this time round. Instead, she took up residence at Iruka's desk, feet propped up on said desk, waiting for the new genin to come back in from their break before resuming her window perch. Iruka gave her a sigh before going out and coming back with two take-out bowls from Ichiraku's: one for himself and one for her. She smiled and thanked him, but just as she was finishing her bowl, she heard the first of the twenty-seven graduates coming back so she slipped quietly out the window to wait for Kakashi to come and claim his team. She became annoyed with Kakashi, however, when nearly and hour after all the other Jounin had collected their teams and even Iruka had left, Kakashi was only just entering the Academy: she scowled fiercely at his tardiness, since Hatori was due back any time now and she wanted to meet him at the village gate.

Finally, Kakashi came in and took his new team to a place where they could talk and get to know a little about each other. First, the trio demanded that Kakashi tell them the same things he wanted to know about them: in the end, all they got was his name. Then it was Naruto's turn…though nothing he said surprised Amaya, who had been keeping a strict eye on him out of personal interest and a promise to Kurai. Then it was Sasuke's turn.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke sounded so cold…it made Amaya sad to think that he might never know the truth. "There are lots of things I dislike and I don't really like anything…and I can't really call it a dream, but I have an ambition: the resurrection of my clan…" She sucked in her breath and instinctively knew that Kakashi was waiting for the words as surely as she was. "And to kill a certain man." She knew it…Sasuke wanted to become a powerful shinobi so he could kill Itachi: nothing else mattered to the boy and that was precisely what Itachi and Kurai had hoped for. God how she hated them for it right now! Sasuke sounded so like Kurai in that moment that it made her heart wrench itself in the most painful ways. She couldn't bear to listen anymore; she fled from the unknowing Team Seven and quickly made her way to the gates to meet Hatori. As soon as she saw him coming, she ran to him and flung her arms around his waist, crying. Hatori was confused until Tsuchino whispered that the genin had been assigned Jounin instructors a few hours previously…and that Sasuke and Naruto had gotten Kakashi. Sighing, Hatori stroked Amaya's hair before picking her up and carrying her home: Kotetsu and Izumo watched, both of them having been in the same class as Tsuchino and Iruka, quietly saying that Hatori was such a great big brother to Amaya. They also spoke of how empty Konoha would seem without the Moritaka trio, because even though Tsuchino still used her maiden name on missions and in the shinobi registry, she was Hatori's wife and therefore a Moritaka. The one that would be missed most, however, was the youngest of the team: Amaya, the Golden Flashfire of Konoha.


	6. No More Secrets

**SPOILER WARNING!** For anyone who has not read Chapter 363 or higher of the Naruto Manga, the coming chapters of P2K contains spoilers as to the names and identities of some characters(i.e. Tobi, Hachibi Jinchuuriki, Pein, etc.). It will also contain some OOC actions for certain characters from the original Naruto anime/manga, such as Sasuke Uchiha and others.

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Promises to Keep, Chapter Six: No More Secrets

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"AMAYA! Where the hell did that girl get off to now?!" Hatori demanded of no one in particular, causing Tsuchino and Yuugito to snicker at him: both women found it funny that he still thought he could keep Amaya in the house like a five-year-old, instead of recognizing her as the fifteen-and-a-half-year-old she was. All teenaged girls snuck out of the house occasionally, so what was to make Amaya any different? Add Killer Bee and Yuugito Nii as her instructors and it was no wonder the young female Jounin ran away every couple of weeks to Gods knew where. It had been six months since Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke had graduated to genin and been put under Kakashi, which also meant that Hatori, Tsuchino, and Amaya had been in Kumo for six months out of their three year mission.

"Calm down, Tori; I'm sure that wherever she is, she is perfectly safe." Tsuchino reassured her husband, smiling and exchanging a knowing look with Yuugito: Amaya had told the two older kunoichi that she was going to meet a boy. She told them not to tell Hatori or Killer Bee because both of them would just get mad and over-react, attempting to follow her and discover who this 'boy' she was going to see was. Of course, none of them knew that she was really going to see not one, but two boys…or that those same boys were the seventeen-year-old twin brothers, Itachi Uchiha and Kurai Rokue. Granted, Amaya herself did not know that Kurai had been born as Takeshi Uchiha and was Itachi's elder fraternal twin, but she did know that both of them were members of the group called Akatsuki, which consisted almost entirely of nukenin from what she could gather. Even as Hatori was searching all of Kumogakure for her and Tsuchino, with Yuugito, were trying to soothe him, Amaya was heading for one of the many Uchiha strongholds that were dotted throughout the five great countries: this one was roughly one hundred and fifty-odd miles from the outermost limit of Kumogakure, hidden in a cave system halfway up a mountain. To get there, she was going north, even further into Lightning Country, in the opposite direction which she would have to take to get to Fire Country and Konoha. She paused to rest at the foot of the mountain which housed the stronghold, knowing that Tsuchino would convince Hatori that she could take care of herself and assure him that she would be back all in due time. Indeed, it was a little over a twenty hour trip to the stronghold, but once Amaya had been there and placed a seal for Hiraishin, she'd be able to instantly return there anytime she wished. She had cut the time by two-thirds by using a kunai marked with the Hiraishin seal, throwing it ahead of herself and summoning herself to it, but it had still taken her nearly eight hours to reach the mountain.

Now, taking a sip of water from her hip flask and catching her breath, Amaya shoved a few strands of her sweat-dampened hair back behind her ears and began heading up the mountain: she would take the ascent slower than the actual trek to the mountain. If she pushed herself too hard in the rising altitude, she'd pass out from the lack of oxygen in the thinner air. Whatever Itachi or Kurai wanted this time, it had better be fucking worth it in Amaya's mind…or she just might kill one of them: that was to say, whichever one it was that was probably up there watching her and laughing at her as she climbed the damn mountain would be the one she killed. God she hoped it was Kurai…he was always such a bastard that she'd give anything for an excuse to punch him, much less kill him. Being angry at them was currently giving her the stamina needed to scale the slope of the mountain and she found herself at the entrance a bit before she was expecting it. "Wow…being mad…made that go…so much…faster!" She panted wryly as she examined the large boulder with a miniscule engraving of the Uchiha crest right at eye-level. If she was right, this wasn't just a boulder, but a well-disguised door to the hideout: she was proven right when she experimentally touched the engraving and a section of the 'boulder' sank in with a click. After a moment, a door appeared a short ways away and Amaya gratefully went through it into the crushing dark of the hideout…with the door sliding back into its invisible place in the outer wall behind her. She was surprised to find that she could navigate the pitch black corridors as if they were bathed in the light of a noonday sun: it was like the very earth around her was whispering to her. But then, since fusing with Shichibi, she shouldn't have been very surprised to have a more intimate knowledge of all things earthen. Soon, she found the heart of the hideout and an old oil lamp. Lighting the lamp proved no more difficult than finding it had and the light from the flame revealed that there were torches and scones all over the wall and passages: Amaya lit jus enough of them to fill the main room and a small side room with a bed. As tired as she was, she decided that it couldn't hurt to set up the seal for Hiraishin and then take a well earned nap while waiting for Kurai or Itachi to show up.

Lying down on the bed after setting up her seal in the main room, Amaya quickly fell asleep. She was awakened roughly an hour later -she wasn't sure how she knew how much time had passed, but she did- by someone moving very close by. Keeping her eyes closed, she kept all outward signs of sleep and waited for whoever it was to make a move: she was startled when she felt a warm hand brush the hair from her cheek. Slowly opening her eyes, she found Itachi watching her with a soft smile. She began to ask a question, but he placed a finger over her lips and shook his head.

"You looked so peaceful, I hadn't the heart to wake you: I'm sorry, since I did that anyway. As for why I asked you to come all the way out here, I wanted to ask for the latest news from Konoha. More than that, I just wanted to see you again: I know you're sick of Kurai showing up in your room or dragging you to Soraku, so we decided it was time for a change of pace." Itachi gave her another brief smile and she felt her heartbeat pick up, just a little. She had always loved Itachi, she realized that now, but when she was younger it had just what her mind called admiration: she had only recently begun to admit to herself that she truly cared for him as more than a friend. Kurai on the other hand…he infuriated her beyond all hope of reconciliation and she had a nagging suspicion that he did it on purpose. If he tried, she imagined that he could be really sweet and kind, but she doubted she'd ever see that miracle transformation. Amaya smiled at Itachi and gently pushed herself into a sitting position.

"So you called me out here just to see me? That's real sweet Itachi…if it's true."

"Why would I lie to you, Amaya-chan?"

"Just Amaya is fine Itachi; I don't like it when people call me '-chan' and I like '-hime' even less because I don't know where they get it from. Some people even call me Maya, but I don't know about that…"

"I think it is suited to you, but Amaya is probably the best. You are like the night rain: generally soft and calming, but on the other hand you can be harsh and cold, even lethal." Itachi chuckled as she pouted.

"Thanks, good to know you see me as a threat!" She was being sarcastic, and both of them knew it. Both of the smiled and soon, were discussing the latest messages that Amaya had received from Kakashi, Iruka, and Sandaime. "The Chûnin exams have started…from what I was told, the third exam is in one month and Orochimaru was sighted inside the Forest of Death: he's after Sasuke, Itachi…and probably Sandaime-sama as well. I cannot go back there right now…I would be in big trouble for abandoning my assignment and team."

"Don't worry; I will go and look in on them myself soon enough. For now, Kurai has disguised himself as a Jounin from Amegakure since we have a base there: it was easy for him to kill a shinobi and take their headband and use a henge to look like them. He got a pass and has free reign in the village as long as the Exams are going and he doesn't blow his cover." Itachi smiled at her and told her to go back to sleep; they would talk more after she had adequately rested. Reluctantly, Amaya complied with Itachi's order-like suggestion. This soon became a monthly ritual: Amaya would vanish for anywhere from two days to a whole week. Hatori gave up trying to follow her or ask her where she went after the first eight months out of Konoha: it wasn't worth the headache. Before long, word reached them that Itachi had been sighted in Konoha, but Amaya just shrugged and said, "So?" This not only made Hatori and Tsuchino wonder, but concerned: Amaya had been as close as anyone could be to the Uchiha heir and all she said was "So?"…no, something was off, but they weren't sure what. Then the news came that Sasuke had abandoned Konoha in favor of Orochimaru's Sound village: Amaya cried for three days. She was happy to see Jiraiya, however, when he and Naruto stopped in for a visit. Amaya was overjoyed to hear that Naruto had mastered Rasengan and offered to teach him another technique when she came back to Konoha: this set off red lights with Jiraiya as well as Hatori and Tsuchino. So, Jiraiya asked her where she'd gotten the jade frog she always wore, expecting her to answer that she didn't know, only that she'd had it for as long as she could remember: that was the answer he'd gotten when he had asked her about it on her seventh birthday, to test her memory. So, all of them were shocked when she easily answered him with a much different reply.

"You gave it to me nine days before Naruto was born, remember Jiraiya-jiisan? I swore I'd never take it off, and I haven't. You'll take good care of Naruto for me, right?" With that, she had gotten up and casually walked away as if she'd just said the most natural thing in the world: Amaya was remembering who she was…and it was making her scary to those who had known her while the amnesia lasted. She never once mentioned who she was to Naruto and made of a point of forbidding anyone from telling him. "I want to tell him: when I think both of us are ready, then I'll tell him…but not until then. If someone else tells him, I'll kill them." Her eyes, normally bright and mischievous, had been as hard and cold as death when she'd said this, making it impossible to ignore the guarantee her words carried. "So you better spread the message: Naruto Uzumaki is an orphan with no family or history until _**I**_, Amaya Namikaze, say so." That was the last time she would see Jiraiya…though nobody knew it yet.

~Three days after the death of Asuma~

With her memory, Amaya had also regained the ability to summon the toads, just like Jiraiya, her father, and now Naruto. So it didn't really surprise her when a messenger toad appeared in her bedroom with a message from Jiraiya. She took the note and sighed as she prepared to read it: as soon as she did, however, the scroll fell from her hands and she let out a very scream of rage and hurt that brought Hatori bursting into the room.

"Amaya, what the hell..?" He began but stopped when he saw the messenger toad. "What does Jiraiya say?" His anger instantly switched to eagerness, Amaya shot a dirty look at him.

"Kakuzu and Hidan are dead!" She all but sobbed as she stared at the man whom she had grown up with as her older brother, her cousin Hatori. He knew that she seemed fond of many of Akatsuki's members, but he had never bothered to ask why: he knew that if she wanted him to know, she'd tell. Suddenly, she went still and clamped a hand over her mouth before making a mad dash into the bathroom. Hatori frowned as he watched her empty her stomach and all of its contents into the toilet…Amaya never got sick, not like this. He knew she had a boyfriend that she snuck out of the village to see and he had assumed that it was just because he wasn't from Kumo; now, he was beginning to wonder again. Tsuchino told him to drop it, especially since Yuugito's death had left a big impact on Amaya and was probably still causing her some forms of distress. Still frowning, Hatori picked up the scroll and read it for himself: his frown deepened as he saw the rest of the message.

"Amaya…Asuma is dead! He was killed by the Akatsuki members Hidan and Kakuzu three days ago! What's more, this message also says that Naruto and a few others are thinking of looking for Itachi to capture him… Did you even read all of this?!" He heard a strangled sound and whirled, his concern taking over only to find that Amaya was gone…he turned back to the messenger frog, who just nodded in understanding: Amaya Namikaze was headed for Konoha…and she was not likely to be happy upon her arrival. Little did anyone know that she knew that if Naruto was going to look for Itachi, he'd be asking for a fight with Akatsuki. More importantly, if Sasuke succeeded in killing Orochimaru soon…then he would be looking for Itachi next.

~Two days later, outside Konoha~

Amaya had searched for Itachi, but to no avail: he didn't want her to find him, so she wouldn't. Finally, defeated, she had made her way to Konoha in a fine rage: someone was going to hurt for this -for what Itachi was preparing to do- and she could think of no one better than Danzo and the elders, who had always known the truth. She paid no heed when a large black wolf fell into step beside her, a parcel hung around its neck: she had no desire to speak with Kurai, so she ignored him point blank. They were a little over an hour away from Konoha when Amaya finally stopped: if she didn't, her protesting stomach would make her lose what little food she'd been able to keep in. Leaning against a tree trunk and sliding down to the ground, she glared at the lupine form Kurai currently inhabited. "I suppose you know where he is and are here to keep me from looking for him?" She snapped testily, eliciting a whine that could have been either concern or indignation: she wasn't sure which and she didn't really care anyways. Kurai came to sit on his haunches before her and, even in his wolf body, easily shrugged the parcel from around his neck: it landed with a soft thump at Amaya's feet. She gazed at it for a moment before raising an eyebrow, intending to ask what it was but instead found that Kurai had vanished, as was his wont. With a frustrated sigh, she picked up the parcel that he had brought her, having followed her for over six hours just to dump it in her lap and disappear without a word. Opening the bundle, she gave a soft gasp: inside was a long-sleeved black shirt with the Uchiha crest on the back of it. And, judging from smell of it, the shirt was Itachi's. There was also a necklace identical to the one Itachi always wore and a letter…addressed to her and in Itachi's handwriting.

Amaya,

I'm sorry for not bringing these things to you in person, but I did not want you to be around when Sasuke finds me. I know that you deserve the truth, so I will tell you that even if I do not fight Sasuke, I would die within a few months regardless: Kurai and I had a dispute a few weeks ago and it became physical. As you probably know, his chakra is black even to those who cannot see the color of chakra. This black chakra is because of him fusing with Rokubi and, when struck by it, the victim is slowly killed from the inside out: think of it like cancer or an incurable disease that eats the host, killing them slowly and painfully. Suffice to say that during our scuffle, Kurai became angry enough to use his tailless demon cloak and I was wounded by it. So you see, even if I came back to Konoha and was accepted back by the village, it would be pointless: I will be dead in short time whether I fight Sasuke or not.

Aside from that, I'm sure you're curious as to why we fought: it was about you. Kurai has extremely heightened senses, having fused with a wolf bijuu. He informed me, quite heatedly, that your hormones had changed, which caused your scent to change: he says that you are pregnant. This is very good news to me: I am only sorry that I cannot be around to see the baby born. Now, Kurai has sworn that he will protect the both of you in my stead, as well as Sasuke. I ask for only one thing: if the baby is a girl, name her Mitsuko…because even though I will not be there, she will be my light and I have given that light to you. If it is a boy, then I trust you will pick a suitable name for him: you have always had a knack for names. Speaking of names, I am giving Tengu to you; he won't listen to anybody else.

Finally, I want you to take care of Naruto and Sasuke: they both still need guidance, and you are the best person I know to give it. Go home to Konoha and do not hate the village for my death. Do not hate Sasuke either: I chose to die this way, and I have no regrets. Also, try to find it in your heart to forgive and accept Kurai as he is…and when the time comes, give him a reason to live.

Heaven and Earth,

†Itachi Uchiha†

She sat, numbly re-reading Itachi's letter over and over: he was going to die and she could do nothing to stop it. More importantly, Kurai had tattled about the secret she had wanted to tell him personally: Itachi knew she was pregnant, and still he was choosing to keep her at a distance. He probably thought it would help to ease the pain of his impending death. After all, if she was pissed at him, then perhaps she wouldn't be quite as distraught when he really did die. Unfortunately, she was furious with Kurai right now: that two-faced wolf incarnate had known and, without even consulting her, he had told Itachi about her pregnancy…knowing that they kept their sexual life a very well-guarded, personal secret. Of course, Itachi trusted and respected no one more than Kurai, so it shouldn't surprise her that Kurai knew they were sleeping together. But still, the sheer NERVE of him! She half wished Kurai hadn't taken off after giving her the package from Itachi: at least then she'd be able to be properly angry at him and castrate him for being an asshole. Feeling utterly exhausted and a bit depressed, Amaya rose to her feet and covered the short distance remaining before her to reach Konoha. As she approached, she pulled Itachi's shirt on over her jumpsuit -the one he and Kurai had given her before she'd left for Kumo- and then hung her own cloak around her shoulders and firmly retied her hitae-ate around her waist, using it like a belt to hold her jumpsuit and Itachi's shirt in place: if she was going home, than by God they would know it was her long before she reached the gate. She allowed her chakra to seep out into the space around her, filled with her fury and her sorrow. The effect this had was quite impressive: the entire forest fell deathly silent as she passed and even after she was gone, no living thing dared to move or risk making a sound. She sensed something on the edges of her chakra and her spine stiffened as more rage leaked into her chakra: it was beginning to materialize as a cloak around her, but as of yet no chakra tails had sprouted.

She knew who it was that followed her and she didn't care: let Danzo send his Root ANBU to investigate the source of such immense chakra. She could use the exercise that incapacitating them would bring. As the main gate of Konoha came into view, she threw her chakra out into the village like a fisherman's net: if she timed it right, she'd trip up the barrier keepers and be able to sneak in amidst the resulting chaos, giving herself some time to find Tsunade, who had become the Godaime after Orochimaru had killed the Sandaime and who had not yet encountered Konoha's Golden Flashfire… Tsunade had only read the reports from Hatori and heard what the Council wished to tell her of Amaya. To be blunt, this was probably very little if anything at all. Amaya smiled sadistically as, just as she'd predicted, alarms began going off all over Konoha when her chakra touched the barrier: she leapt high up into the air and landed on the gate. Turning to look down at the watchmen at the gate, she saluted them with a smile and stuck out her tongue before throwing one of her Hiraishin kunai as hard and far as she could towards the Hokage Tower. When she reappeared, it was halfway between the gate and Ichiraku's: that had actually been one of her best throws. Picking up the kunai, she decided to walk the rest of the way: it was unknown what effects Hiraishin might have on a developing fetus, since Minato Namikaze, who'd invented the jutsu, and Kurai were both male and as such had not accounted for the possibility of a pregnant female user. She didn't know if using it would have any side-effects, but it was better to be cautious now rather than sorry later. Dropping down into an abandoned alleyway, she easily slipped onto Konoha's Tea Avenue and was able to remain undetected until she was passing by Amaguriama and Kurenai spotted her: Amaya was instantly rooted to the spot when her Jinchuuriki-enhanced nose registered the fact that Kurenai was at least three months pregnant. She'd heard from Hatori, who had been told by Gai, that they'd gotten married some time ago, but she suddenly felt a whole new level of kinship with the other female Jounin: she had just lost her husband and she was pregnant. Amaya was in a similar sort of situation: Itachi had chosen to die by his younger brother's hands because he would be dead soon no matter what, but he was leaving behind Amaya and the unborn child she was carrying.

"Amaya-chan…when did you get back from Kumo?" Kurenai asked as she blinked at the younger kunoichi, quite startled to spot Asuma's one-time student when said student was supposed to be in Kumo for another three months. Sighing a bit at having been recognized so quickly, Amaya decided that it couldn't hurt to talk to Kurenai for a bit.

"Well, actually I only just got back: I wanted to come and pay a visit." Kurenai gave her a disbelieving look and Amaya smiled. "Okay, you caught me: I heard about Asuma-sensei and came immediately…without clearance. So, suffice to say that I am the one who set off the alarm: I imagine that the ANBU will be here to collect me soon…but they'll have to catch me first." Her expression was one of pure mischief as she said this but was quickly replaced with an intent gaze beyond Kurenai's shoulder. Noticing a few teens coming up, she was alarmed to see Naruto with his right arm hung in a sling. Excusing herself from Kurenai, she walked over to Naruto and the other teens he was with and Kakashi stopped dead, staring at her with wary unease. "Kakashi, what happened to Naruto-kun?" She asked menacingly: Kakashi instantly knew something was different about her…she was being far more protective than normal and her chakra was full of killing intent.

"Ah! Amaya-chan!" Naruto smiled as he greeted her as smoothly as one might greet a long absent classmate whom one does not know for who they truly are. "I thought that Gramps sent you to Kumogakure…Jiraiya-sensei said you weren't supposed to be back for three more months. That must mean you're here without Tsunade-bachan's knowledge, right?"

"That's right: Tsunade doesn't know I'm here. I heard about Asuma-sensei…and about the two Akatsuki members associated in his death." She smiled fondly at Naruto and before anyone could blink, was running a hand infused with healing over his injured arm, frowning. "Messed yourself up good this time, kiddo. What jutsu did this?" It was not a question Naruto could ignore: Sai and Sakura were both mutely staring with Kakashi, who was actually feeling rather afraid of Amaya at the moment.

"It's my own new jutsu: I added my wind element to the Rasengan. It's called Rasen-shuriken; I took out two of that Kakuzu's hearts with one hit using it." Amaya's eyes narrowed dangerously at his arm but became soft again as she looked back up into Naruto's eyes.

"That's impressive, Naruto-kun. Now can anyone tell me where Jiraiya is?" :_I see…so it was Team Seven and Team Ten that killed Hidan and Kakuzu…_: Amaya thought sadly as she spoke, giving no outward sign of her inner grief. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to kill him for letting Naruto-kun use something like this Rasen-shuriken…or was it you who suggested it Kakashi? You're the type to do something like that. So which of you gets a nice three-week leave to the ICU, huh?" Amaya's voice was devoid of all emotion and Kakashi felt his blood freeze: she really meant to send one of them to the hospital.

"Jiraiya-sama currently isn't in the village: he hasn't been seen for a couple of weeks." This came from the pink-haired girl that Amaya vaguely recognized as Sakura Haruno, one of Naruto's teammates from the original Team Seven of his graduating class. The other youth had the look and feel of Root…he was like Kurai had been when she first met him. She frowned, displeased, and gave a snarl-like sigh: clearly, she had been spending too much time around Kurai in his demon cloak and bijuu-forms. "As for the Rasen-shuriken, Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-taichou were the ones who trained Naruto for it and helped him to be able to create it."

"So it was you Kakashi…well I guess I'll just have to settle for being pissed at you: Iru-niisan would never forgive me for killing you." At that moment, six ANBU appeared around them in a circle. "Well, damn." Amaya feigned disappointment, smiling and laughing sarcastically: she closed her eyes and when she opened them, everyone and everything had frozen in time. "Guess I'm back off to Kumo; why else would Tsunade send six of you? Fine, fine…tell Tsunade that Konoha's Golden Flashfire reports the following: my sources in Akatsuki have been terminated, save one. I came to Konoha to pay respects to Asuma and to check on one Naruto Uzumaki. I am returning to Kumo via Hiraishin and I will be back in three months time with my team. At that time I intend to instruct Naruto Uzumaki on the Hiraishin no Jutsu, since it is only fitting for him to learn it. At the time of my return, I shall resume the name of Amaya Namikaze and move into the home where my mother and father lived before he became Hokage. When I come back, Danzo and the other Council members had best head for cover because I intend to visit upon them all the tortures they put me and mine through." She glared at the ANBU and the level of her killing intent and chakra increased to an unheard of level: not even Naruto in his four-tailed demon cloak had this much chakra…or such maliciousness. "Tell that to Tsunade and tell her that when I return, I will be bringing an Uchiha with me: she needn't know which one or how, only that I will be bringing one. The truth will become clear when I return; until then, may all the Gods have pity on anyone who lays a finger on Naruto-kun or Sasuke-kun, because I will kill them when I find them. Got it?" All the ANBU nodded shakily; they were petrified by the murderous aura this single young kunoichi was giving off. Kakashi and the others saw none of it, however, since it had been a genjutsu that Amaya had learned from Itachi: it was not Tsukuyomi, but it achieved the desired -some would even say a frighteningly similar- effect. As the genjutsu was released, Amaya smiled and bid goodbye to Naruto and the others before vanishing in a small flurry of golden leaves, which ignited as they fell to the ground: only a matter of seconds had passed in reality while she had spoken to the ANBU in her genjutsu. The ANBU didn't say anything as they dispersed to report to Tsunade.

"Naruto, who was that?" Sakura asked, totally confused.

"Her name is Amaya; I met her in Kumogakure while I was traveling with Jiraiya-sensei. She's a Jounin and actually, if I remember right, she used to sit in on a lot of Iruka-sensei's classes while we were at the Academy. You mean your really don't recognize her Sakura-chan?" Naruto frowned at Sakura: how could anyone forget Amaya-chan? Sure she wore all white with that odd fiery-gold color now…but she used to only wear red and black; Naruto himself was quite fond of that particular color combination. Black and red was a good combo, just like his orange and black if he thought about it…perhaps he might take a leaf out of her book one of these days and try out that particular color combination.

"Not really…I mean I remember that she used to sit in class when she was around, but why did she come back to Konoha for just one day?" Sakura asked thoughtfully as Team Seven all began walking away from the scene, since people had begun to stare.

"Well, I imagine that Tsunade-bachan will tell us when we get our next mission: Amaya-chan would have to report to her if she came back to the village. So we should just enjoy the rest of our break, right Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto laughed as he addressed the Copy Nin, only to find that Kakashi had vanished: he and Sakura both gave exasperated and angry exclamations of "KAKASHI-SENSEI, YOU JERK!!" while Sai just smiled serenely…he was getting used to his new teammates, after all.

~Kumogakure, shortly after Team Eagle's battle with Killer Bee~

Hatori and Tsuchino were both extremely wary as they entered the Raikage's office: from the slight electrical charge to the atmosphere, something was very wrong. They were supposed to be returning to Konoha with Amaya in two weeks, but the Raikage had sent for them and as they entered, they saw a man wearing an Akatsuki cloak standing in one corner: there was definitely no way this could be good…

"Moritaka-san, I am sending your team back to Konoha immediately to inform your Hokage that we of Kumo will be dealing with Uchiha Sasuke! Rokue-san will be going with you out of concern for Amaya-hime, so try not to insult him: he'll most likely kill you." Hatori and Tsuchino stared at the man in the Akatsuki cloak: he bore an uncanny resemblance to both Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha…and they knew him! Tsuchino was the first to recover from the shock of seeing him, not only alive but in an Akatsuki robe, no less!

"Kurai-kun! Why are you wearing an Akatsuki cloak?! How…?! Sandaime-sama said that you were killed in action eight years ago!" Tsuchino demanded, to which Kurai merely shrugged noncommittally while Hatori continued to stare at him.

"Tell me…was it you she was always going off to see, Rai?" Hatori finally asked, earning a wolfish smile from the twenty-one-year-old Rokubi incarnate.

"Not exactly; sometimes she was coming to me for training, but mostly she was going to see Itachi. Tell me, has anyone here heard the news about him and Jiraiya?" Kurai's voice had a rough edge to it, like he'd been injured and recently recovered or something. "Because I don't think it would be good for Amaya to find out just yet…"

"Find out what?" Hatori asked sharply, his eyes hardening as he figured out the implications of Kurai's simple statement about whom Amaya had been rendezvousing with.

"Jiraiya fell in battle to Akatsuki Leader Pein a month ago in Amegakure." Kurai was definitely concealing something, Hatori decided as he listened to the younger man whom he was not certain he wished to trust. "Shortly prior to Jiraiya's defeat, Itachi Uchiha was killed by Sasuke Uchiha at one of the various Uchiha Hideouts. Anyway you look at it, I strongly advise against telling her that Itachi is dead at the same time you tell her about Jiraiya; it just might drive her over the edge. Before you ask, I hold no loyalty to Akatsuki, I am merely acting as an inside source of information and I am still one of Konoha's best ANBU, so don't even think about trying your luck with me Hatori Moritaka: you'll only forfeit your life." Kurai was idly scratching his chin with one hand as he returned his attention to the Raikage. "Personally, I don't think Killer Bee will be so easily captured as this, but it seems that he has been. I'm regretful that Sasuke is the one at fault, but I can't allow you to kill him: he is my responsibility after all, just as Killer Bee is yours' Raikage-sama. I will escort Amaya-hime to Konoha and then I will return to deal with Sasuke personally. Samui's team will be a welcome addition when I return, but I fear they will only get in my way. I have nothing else to say, Raikage-sama." Kurai gave a wolf-like yawn before saluting the Raikage and vanishing.

"What did we just miss…?" Tsuchino asked Hatori, though the Raikage and his assistant both seemed to find their confusion to be normal and even a bit funny.

"Well? The two of you are supposed to be leaving for Konoha at noon! Get moving!" Raikage thundered at them, still furious about Killer Bee's capture even if their predicament was entertaining. Hatori and Tsuchino instantly snapped back to attention and left the Raikage's office, heading for the large three-bedroom apartment that they and Amaya called home while in Kumogakure. When they got there, they could hear Amaya talking to someone in her room, so they waited outside in the hall, on the benefit of a doubt, while peeking in through a crack near the doorframe.

"Honestly, you are the most boorish, pig-headed man I've ever met!" Amaya was saying as she was throwing some of her belongings into a backpack: they couldn't see who she was talking to, but judging from her attitude and the way she planted her hands on her hips when she turned to look at them, they were willing to take a guess.

"You forget Amaya-_hime_… I've seen the kind of boys your type likes," Yep, they had been right: it was Kurai and he was deliberately picking a fight from the sound of it. "And I'm the _**only**_ man you've ever met." Amaya was momentarily thrown off by his arrogance, but she quickly recovered and grabbed a lamp from her bedside table before hurling it at Kurai, who was apparently standing in front of her bedroom door from the way he cursed as something very heavy hit the door, accompanied by the sound of shattering porcelain. Amaya then placed one delicate hand on her hip, examining the nails on the other hand in an open challenge as they heard Kurai push away from the door with a low growl. He moved into Hatori and Tsuchino's line of sight as he walked over to her dresser, her being on the other side of the large bed and unable to stop him, to pick up a large vase full of flowers: he tipped the vase and drained all the water, using chakra to form it like a balloon-less water balloon. Amaya pointed one finger at him threateningly as she glared at him.

"Oh, no. No. No. No…" The water hit her square in the face as she spoke, the sheer force of the impact knocking her back and onto the floor, landing on her ass.

"I bet fifty on Amaya…" Tsuchino whispered to her husband, knowing that Amaya was not only furious, but pregnant: this made her extremely dangerous, indeed. Hatori whispered back that she was on as Amaya slowly pulled herself back to her feet, using her bed as support and wiping water out of her eyes. She began trying to speak, calling him the first thing she could think of that described him: and so, they began a war of words.

"You…you…egotistical…" Amaya started while still attempting to wring the excess water from her hair.

"You spoiled…" Kurai was only a step behind her as he flung his own insults.

"Disrespectful," Amaya snarled: Kurai was rubbing a small trickle of blood from a gash under his eye that had been made when the lamp struck him…it would heal quickly enough. "Pretentious, pompous," She was really angry with him this time and he knew it.

"Deluded," Kurai interjected easily as he dodged the various items Amaya was beginning to throw at him, which all either embedded themselves in the wall or broke from the impact.

"Self-centered, untrustworthy," She easily hefted up the small bedside table and chucked it at him as she spoke.

"High-and-mighty…" He growled, dodging the bedside table, before beginning to slowly move towards her as he continued ducking more items, including kunai and shuriken.

"Ungrateful, impossible, insufferable…" She continued to try to throw things even as he got right in her face.

"At least I'm not repressed!" He snarled, catching the kunai she attempted to embed in his shoulder. In pure rage, she let go of the weapon and took a step back, glaring at him with an unbelievable amount of murderous intent pouring off of her.

"REPRESSED?!" She held one accusatory under his nose before turning away from him. "I'll show you repressed!" She said fiercely as she grabbed the bureau from behind her and lifted it just enough to spin and throw it at him. The large desk was smashed to pieces as he knocked it effortlessly aside, taking the two steps to grab her arms and pin her against the wall. "Let me go Kurai or I swear I'll fucking kill you!" She spat viciously, but Kurai was ignoring her completely.

"Just shut the fuck up and listen to me!" He snarled lowly, so that only she could hear him. "I promised Itachi that I would raise his kid as my own; that makes the baby you're carrying my responsibility, alright? Now you need to start taking better care not to hurt yourself!" He loosened his grip on her wrists a little, so as not to hurt her, but he did not let her go. "If I'm gonna be that kid's father, then you are damn well gonna stop being so fucking reckless, got it? Just now you could have seriously hurt yourself and the baby…" He whispered angrily, while Amaya felt a shudder run through her body. "Or did you not even think about that?"

"You insulted Itachi…" She snarled back, trying in vain to get away, and Kurai gave a frustrated sigh.

"Look, I gave you the letter he left you, didn't I? Well he left you a few other things, but I was instructed to wait before giving them to you so that's what I'm doing. Now you and I don't have to get along like a normal mommy and daddy, but don't you think it'll be bad for the kid if we keep trying to kill each other every time we meet?" Amaya glared at him around the tears and the lump in her throat, both of which were threatening to reveal how upset she really was. "Yes, I fucked up and shortened Itachi's lifespan even more than he already had, but he chose to die by Sasuke's hands. However, if you love him half as much as I do, you'll respect that decision and move on with your life because that's what he wanted for you. He knew that losing you and his death combined would be the end of me…and that his death would possibly be the end for Sasuke as well. But, he didn't want his death to be the end of you: he wanted for you and the baby to go back to Konoha and be happy, so do that for him, alright?"

"'If I love him half as much as you…losing me was the end of you': what are you talking about Kurai?" She asked quietly and Kurai inwardly cussed. Snarling at his own stupidity, he let her go and simply stood before her, slamming his fist against the wall in his anger at his own mistake.

"Itachi was my twin brother: both of us have loved you for a long time… He won." Was all he said before he turned and left, growling at Hatori and Tsuchino as he went: his voice had been nearly inaudible and as dead as she'd ever heard it. Amaya stared after him, completely stunned and unable to even begin to form the words to call him back. Neither of them had ever said anything, made a single sign…and yet she felt like she should have known it all along. They were the same age and they almost could have passed as identical twins, though Kurai looked a bit more like Sasuke than Itachi did. She should have seen it much sooner, but now that he said it, it made perfect sense to her: they both had always asked about Sasuke and very rarely seemed interested in anything else regarding Konoha. Both had the ANBU tattoo and both excelled at genjutsu, though Kurai's true forte was taijutsu, his bijuu forms, and his electricity. Whereas Itachi heavily relied on his Sharingan, ninjutsu, and genjutsu during combat, Kurai preferred to get up close and personal, never using his Sharingan that Amaya had seen, where he would then physically break his opponents. But he did love psychological warfare and was just as content to drive his enemies insane, without ever touching them, as he was to rip them apart: Kurai was strong in taijutsu and genjutsu, while his weaker area was ninjutsu…though he did know quite a few techniques that could be called his hidden aces, such as Hiraishin. Kurai was not invincible though: like all great warriors, he did have his weaknesses…and Amaya had just learned that Itachi and Sasuke, along with herself and her unborn baby, were a key set among those weaknesses. Kurai did not wound easily, but she had just wounded him deeply without even realizing she'd had the deadliest knife of all in her hands the whole time, slowly driving it deeper. She had never thought that Kurai might be so cold to her because he cared about her but knew he couldn't have her…she never thought that he might love her.

"I chose Itachi…and I drove him away from the both of us…" Amaya felt the pain in her chest redouble: what had she done to them? Twin brothers and she had driven them apart…now she understood what Itachi had said in his letter: "We fought…it was about you: he found out you were pregnant and heatedly informed me about it." It also made sense for Itachi to ask Kurai to raise the baby as his own if they were twin brothers… God, she had been so stupid! She had regained her memories and now, thinking about it, she had realized something very important: she had fallen in love with Itachi because he had reminded her of a boy named Takeshi that she vaguely remembered from before her parents died. He had been an Uchiha, the same age as Itachi, and he had disappeared shortly after the Kyuubi attack; sure, she remembered seeing him around Konoha, but he had never approached her directly after the Kyuubi attack. So, she had latched onto Itachi instead: she was horrified to realize that even though she truly did love Itachi, she might never have loved him as she did had Kurai not been such a distant and cruel figure to her. Now she was faced with inner turmoil: her love for Itachi…and the realization that she just might feel affection towards Kurai.

"May all the Gods that ever were help me…I love them both!" Amaya giggled hysterically as Tsuchino and Hatori cautiously came into her bedroom. Once she had stopped having hysterics, Amaya finished packing the relatively small amount of personal belongings she would be taking with her back to Konoha with Tsuchino's help. Once all three of them had finished packing, they set out on the long journey home to Konoha: Samui's team bid them farewell and handed them the message to Tsunade from the Raikage just as a massive black wolf fell into step beside Amaya. So, one of the Uchiha prodigies and Konoha's own Golden Flashfire began the trek home with Hatori Moritaka and Tsuchino Sanada as their escorts, neither prepared to speak to the other about what had transpired between them. However, none of the four were prepared for what would greet them in Konoha…


	7. Aftermath

**WARNING!!** As of this chapter, this story will become strictly AU. This means that the events in this story from this point onward will be derived from my own imagination and will not comply with the canon depiction of events as they occur in the Naruto manga/anime. I purposely left the details of Amaya and Kurai's interactions with Itachi and the others Akatsuki hazy because to do otherwise, for me, was to alter the original personalities and such of the characters. I left out details on the fight with Pein because at the time I wrote this, chapter 431 had not yet been released, nor the subsequent chapters depicting that battle: I have merely made the assumption that Naruto wins and that Pein would survive even if Naruto destroyed all six of his bodies, since none of them is the true body of Pein(a.k.a. Nagato). If you don't like this, then you can always stop reading this fic. However, if you have ideas to improve the fic, feel free to comment or message me about them and I will sincerely consider each idea or suggestion, even if it is in the form of criticism. Thank you and if you have not read the first chapter of this story, I suggest that you go do so. Thank you and enjoy! Also, please don't forget to review.

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Promises to Keep, Chapter Seven: Aftermath

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When Amaya, Hatori, Tsuchino, and wolf-form Kurai began drawing close to Konoha, they could all sense that something was very, very wrong: Kurai could smell blood…lots of it…and death. He knew before the others what the source was; having been an insider on Akatsuki's operations up until a week previously, he knew that Sasuke had been sent after Killer Bee with his Team Eagle and that the boy then intended to attack Konoha. He also knew that Pein and Konan had been sent to capture Naruto: but he also knew that Pein and Konan had failed, miserably, with Naruto soundly beating all six of Pein's bodies. Unfortunately, Pein would not die until his real body, the one he kept hidden and out of the range of battle, was destroyed: he could always get more corpses to control after all. He would be mad at losing the God realm -Yahiko's- body, naturally since it was the first one he'd gained and a former comrade, but all of the realms were replaceable in the end. Kurai had been traveling in his wolf henge, deliberately masking his chakra to avoid detection by the Root: he would prefer not to draw their attention until after Amaya was safely inside the village. Now, however, he stopped and stood perfectly still save for the twitching of his ears as he listened: Amaya instantly stopped as well, intently watching the movement of his lupine ears.

"Kurai…?" She asked softly, alerting Hatori and Tsuchino that whatever was wrong, it was far worse than they'd thought if even Kurai hesitated. A deep snarl rose up from Kurai's lupine chest and Amaya froze in the action of resting one hand between his shoulder blades: Kurai was watching something…and that something was moving towards them at a very rapid pace, indeed. A moment later and five whole platoons of ANBU surrounded them -twenty all told- while Tsunade pushed through the ranks to look them over.

"As the Fifth Hokage, I demand that all jutsu you are using be dispelled immediately before you will be permitted to enter this village: noncompliance will be punishable by death." Hatori and Tsuchino instantly let all their chakra bleed away to show that no jutsus were being employed by them, while Amaya was too ill and tired to even try to make a hand seal. Kurai, however, let loose a dangerous growl as he bared his fangs at Tsunade: had he been human, it would be a demand to know what was going on. He knew that even though Raikage had given them a written form of the message that Kumo would deal with Sasuke, the crazy old Raikage had undoubtedly also sent a messenger bird: they were faster. So using that as the basis for his anger, Kurai knew that Tsunade most certainly knew who they were and where they had come from. "Come now, Kurai…drop the henge: otherwise I will be inclined to think you have something to hide, possibly even that you are an imposter." Tsunade seemed to have at least understood that he refused to drop the henge without some form of explanation: it was not perfect, but it was a reasonable one. Still snarling, Kurai released the henge as a few Chûnin and Jounin joined the circle of ANBU: one was a pink-haired girl and another he recognized as the daughter of Inoichi Yamanaka, Tsuchino's cousin. He also recognized a few Hyuugas, the Nara father and son, some of the Aburame clan, and an Akimichi.

"I see that you have turned a number of Root to your side, Tsunade-hime." Kurai said as the electricity that rippled off of him whenever he used a henge settled. "So tell me…have you killed Danzo yet? If not, then I stake my claim to rip out his heart: no one else has as much of a right as I to kill him, save perhaps Itachi who is already dead." Kurai was purposely keeping his eyes closed, because when he was this angry his Sharingan had a tendency to activate itself: it was a habit he'd picked up before leaving Konoha to track Orochimaru when he was nine…twelve years previously. Orochimaru had not yet left Konoha and turned into a missing-nin at that time, but he had often left the village to perform things which the Third had wished monitored: it was only two years later -when Kurai was eleven- that Orochimaru was to become an S-rank criminal and join Akatsuki. "Maybe you can tell me why I smell massive amounts of carnage coming from the village, huh? Or should I start guessing?" Tsunade frowned at him: this couldn't be the kind-hearted little boy she remembered as Orochimaru's ward…this could not be Takeshi Uchiha; he was too cold, too taciturn, and much too harsh to be that little boy. "Let see…there are only a few things I can think of… First scenario: Pein attacked and used his Shinra Tensei to level the village, in which case you lot are either the only survivors or you're the welcoming committee because everyone else is wounded and Pein was defeated. Second option: Sasuke has already staged his attack on Konoha, which makes the message from Raikage not only null and void, but pointless. Third case: Danzo staged a coup d'état and either he is now in control, which your use of the title as Fifth Hokage denies, or he tried to take over and was thwarted. Now, which of those is the correct answer Tsunade-hime?"

"It was Pein: the village is in ruins and Naruto…well, he was magnificent; but he still took a bit of a beating. But how did you know about that? Or about Danzo and Sasuke?" Tsunade spoke grimly to Kurai, not realizing that Amaya was about to move very quickly and very dangerously towards her. Kurai caught Amaya by the waist before she could go running into the village.

"Whoa, easy Amaya. I can still sense his chakra: Naruto is actually quite well for someone who took on Pein. But trust me, you don't want to go charging straight in like that right now. There's bound to be a huge crater if he used Shinra Tensei, which I'm more than willing to bet he did: God realm is a real pain in the ass and Pein himself is the epitome of a dysfunctional psychopath… He really thinks he's a God and has enough power to pretty much get away with that belief. Now, you will stay here with Hatori and Tsuchi and I will go assess the damage to the village for you: I will tell you if you can fix any of it or if you can't, so right now I need you to just sit down and relax before you make yourself sick again. I didn't go out of my way to teach Tsuchi about the medicines you need just for you to negate the effects by overdoing it." Kurai easily picked her up and carried her over to a fallen tree, where he set her down.

"What… Tsuchi, I was under the impression you and Hatori didn't know Kurai…" Amaya, along with Hatori, eyed Tsuchino suspiciously while the kunoichi gave a nervous chuckle. "Unless you've met him but didn't tell anyone else! Hatori, did you know about this?"

"No, though I can't say I'm surprised since Tsuchi was so close with Yuugito and Killer Bee, both of whom were always mentioning this Kurai Rokue. Now that I've met Kurai, I think it's safe to say they could only have meant him: he certainly acts like the punk they described." Hatori frowned as he watched the way Kurai handled Amaya: he was way too familiar with her in Hatori's own opinion, but Amaya had forbidden him from trying to get anything out of Kurai…for his own good, she had said. Hatori watched as Tsuchino all but tied Amaya down to convince her to stop worrying as Kurai turned back to Tsunade.

"I'm assuming that you have begun to try and clean up already?" Tsunade nodded and Kurai sighed, pulling one hand back through his hair, which hung loosely down onto his shoulders, in irritation. "Well, let's see what kind of a job we're dealing with here…lead the way Tsunade-hime." He extended his hand in front of him, inviting Tsunade to go ahead of him. After a moment, though, he paused and turned to glare at the ANBU with his Sharingan swirling to life. "Oh, and…ditch the ANBU: you know as well as I do that you won't need them while I'm with you." Sakura and quite a few of the others who had congregated around Amaya and her team gasped, shocked and totally confused by the sudden appearance of an Uchiha when Itachi and Sasuke were the only two that they had known to still be living. Now they all believed that Sasuke was the only known survivor of the clan, since he had killed Itachi and no one had known of Kurai's status or that of Amaya's unborn child. However, Kurai wasn't about to stop and chat with them about it: he was not in the best of moods after the incident with Amaya in Kumo. Amaya gave a soft and shaky laugh as the ANBU hesitated, torn between their duty to protect the Hokage and her orders not to follow them.

"Be smart; don't follow after Kurai. He'll either maul you or use genjutsu to drive you insane: trust me, neither is pleasant since the genjutsu is, in a word, just like that of Itachi Uchiha's Tsukuyomi and the mauling is very violent and painful, him being able to become a wolf on a whim and all." Amaya then rose to her feet and gingerly sought out a place in which to be violently ill to her stomach: this whole pregnancy thing was kicking her ass. So far, she had gone from her normal 126 Lbs. to roughly 105 Lbs.: this meant that she had lost about twenty-one pounds in a little under a week. She was also extremely fatigued and badly dehydrated: she couldn't keep anything down…even water rarely stayed in her stomach for more than a few minutes. Kurai had not yet noticed, luckily, or he probably would have insisted on carrying her all the way from Kumo: she was using her shape-shifting transformation clay to disguise her weight loss and the unnatural pallor her skin had doubtless taken. Finding a suitable place to vomit -far enough away for the others not to notice and yet close enough for them not to worry-, Amaya allowed herself to be severely and excruciatingly sick: she felt like her innards were trying to become her outsides. In all truth, she was only about three or four months pregnant and as such, was showing but not by very much. She had not been quite prepared for being so sick, however, and had been forced to tell Tsuchino about her pregnancy since the older kunoichi was a medic nin and the only one Amaya trusted to NOT tell anyone if she asked it of her…not that it had worked, since it appeared that Tsuchino was in league with Kurai anyway. Now, having been thrown up and no longer feeling nauseous, Amaya returned to the others: she recognized Sakura and a few others from among the teens, but she didn't really care at the moment to say 'hi'…she settled for slightly heavier conversation.

"So Naruto beat Pein, did he?" Sakura said that yes, he had; Amaya smiled proudly. "He wasn't too badly injured?" Sakura shook her head to say that he wasn't. "Good; that means I can at least relax about that for now. So how bad is the damage to the village and how are the repairs going, because I know there had to be damage."

"Damage is massive, my lovely Amaya-hime; now come on, you and I are going to work a tinsy bit of magic on this place." Kurai said breezily as he lifted Amaya up, having appeared out of nowhere. Amaya protested feebly to such handling, but Kurai ignored her for the most part and she gave up after only a few steps. He quickly carried her into the village, where the areas with the least damage were already well underway in repairs. But there was a huge crater in the center of what had been the village: homes, shops, and many other buildings within range of the blast had been completely leveled. "You my lovely are just the person for this: with my help, you are going to carve stairways into the slopes of the crater and use your control on soil and such to manipulate and generate buildings. The hospital wasn't totally destroyed and a lot of the equipment was repairable, luckily for us, so we need to fix the building in order to heal the wounded more efficiently." Amaya felt a knot form in her stomach: she could do it, yes…but it would put a horrible strain on her already weakened body even with Kurai's help and chakra support. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Amaya knelt and placed both palms flat on the edge of the crater.

"Hold on to something; this could get very rough." She said loud enough for anyone nearby to hear her. She then bit her lip and spit some of her blood onto the ground between her hands: Kurai knelt beside her and she could feel the searing heat of his electrical chakra as it discharged into the ground below them. As the seals formed out in a huge circle around them and down into the crater, the very soil beneath them began to come alive and move to her will: soon the stairways were carving themselves out while stone houses and buildings were beginning to form up from the dirt. Amaya did not use this ability lightly…indeed, she had only ever down anything like this once and it had not been anything near to this scale. She had once carved living quarters into a pre-existing cave during one of her training outings with Yuugito and Killer Bee, but that was it. Now she was using her control over the earth and clay to help rebuild Konoha in the wake of Pein: she wished somebody would slap her for her idiocy in risking using what little strength she still had on something that could easily kill her at full health, much less as she was now. Still…it was Konoha and if she succeeded, then she would know for certain that she had the strength to complete **that** jutsu she'd been working on. As the last of the debris was cleared away by her clay and the hospital was reconstructed, Amaya gave a weak smile and promptly lost consciousness. Crumpling in on herself, Kurai caught her and held her close to his own body: her heartbeat was not only far faster than it should be, but erratic. As her chakra levels dipped dangerously low, her special clay, which had been giving the illusion of health to her, began to fall away and collected into a pouch at her hip: the red clay was almost black, it was so dark, and Kurai felt a snarl catch in his throat when he realized that she'd been hiding her illness not only from Tsuchino and Hatori, but him as well. Itachi had not said anything about her being sick, so either this was recent or she had also hidden it from him. Kurai didn't know or care: he was just pissed that she felt the need to hide it and lie.

:_She's so thin…she's lost a LOT of weight in a very short time. Tsuchino said she'd been having a real hard time of the morning sickness, but this…_: He repressed another snarl as he lifted her gently and protectively. :_This is something worse than morning sickness. Tsunade should be able to tell me what it is, and if Tsunade can't, I'll find someone who can._: He made his decision as he looked up at Tsunade, who had a large array of Konoha's uninjured or less injured populace gathered around her, all of them staring at what two lone ninja had done to rebuild the village in a matter of minutes. "Tsunade, Amaya needs a doctor." Tsunade blinked before nodding and saying to bring her to the Hokage Tower, one of the few buildings that had come through nearly unscathed, along with the Academy. Once there, Kurai noted that some of the people who'd been there when they arrived and had used their bijuu's powers where still present: among them was Naruto and a few other teens his age, Iruka, and Yamato. Hatori and Tsuchino had also come but were wisely keeping their distance from Kurai. "She's been hiding the true extent of her pregnancy and its connected effects from us, Tsunade." Kurai said as he lay her down on a futon a pink-haired girl quickly pulled out.

"What do you mean 'her pregnancy'?! When was I going to be informed that she was expecting?" Tsunade demanded angrily, kneeling over Amaya to check her vitals. "And dare I even ask who the father is?" Kurai chuckled as he sat, leaning his back on Tsunade's desk, with one elbow resting on his propped up left knee. Tsunade gave him a filthy look as if to say, "You didn't dare!"

"Let's just say I'm going to have to quit smoking and drinking…oh, and let's not forget whoring: that's definitely not an ideal father-trait, is it?" Kurai said, sounding extremely serious even though he was getting a huge kick out of fucking with Tsunade's head. Hatori, meanwhile, looked as if he might kill Kurai while Tsuchino was trying in vain not to burst into a fit of hysterical giggles. "C'mon Tsunade-hime, do you really think I'm the type to get someone knocked up and not take responsibility? Especially considering that I lived with Minato-sama and Kushina-sensei for nearly two weeks? Not on your life; the kid may as well be mine but truthfully, it's a toss up."

"Meaning what exactly?!" Tsunade demanded crossly, shooting glares at him over her shoulder as she continued to examine Amaya.

"It could be mine…or it could be one other person's: I don't know and I don't really care. I've promised to raise the kid as mine, so what does it really matter anyway?" Kurai really was having just a bit too much fun… He stopped laughing at Tsunade, however, as he felt a ripple of a familiar chakra tickle the very edge of his senses: he had set up a barrier that extended as far as the Valley of the End in all directions, with Konoha at the center. As soon as someone set foot in it from beyond the barrier, he knew about it…and Sasuke and his Team Eagle had just come in from the direction of Akatsuki's main base. Swearing, he looked over at Amaya and gave a defeated sigh. "Well, looks like this show will get started sooner than I'd planned. Seriously Tsunade-hime, I'm going to behave now: the baby has Uchiha blood. That's all you're ever gonna get out of me or her so stop asking, alright?" He pushed himself up from the floor with a hiss: using his electric pulse to help Amaya rebuild part of Konoha had drawn chakra from the task of much-needed healing. "Sasuke has just re-entered Fire Country…please tell me you have Danzo in custody." Here he flashed a feral smile and Tsunade motioned to Yamato, who nodded and left the room: he returned a few minutes later with Koharu, Homura, and Danzo. Upon sighting Kurai, all three of the elder ninja froze and began to visibly sweat. "Why hello…what have we here? I thought Itachi and I both warned you several times…" Kurai was as happy as a kid in a candy store…and it showed.

"You can't be alive! Itachi said he killed you in the Uchiha Massacre!" Koharu said shakily as Kurai towered over her.

"Did he now…? And you really believed that Itachi would, or even could, kill me when he could not kill Sasuke? How precious Koharu-baba; you have become senile in your old age." Kurai leered at her, happy to make her squirm. "You forget that I asked for only one thing when I agreed to participate in the slaughter of the Uchiha clan…" He turned to glare at them with his eyes gleaming dangerously with his best kept secret: his Mangekyou Sharingan. "All I asked was that Sasuke not be harmed, that Naruto be given better treatment that I had, for Amaya to be protected, and for you to stop hunting Itachi. In essence, I only asked for you to leave my family and precious people alone: you did not comply with that one request. Therefore, the contract is void and I get to kill the three of you for the hell you put me and mine through. How does a slow and excruciating death sound?" He mused while a sinister grin played across his face: Sakura and the others were all effectively made cautious of him, if not afraid outright. "Mind, that'll only be after you've told Sasuke and the entire village the truth, of course."

"You are a monster, always have been and will be forever more: is that what you wish for us to tell Sasuke?" Danzo spoke harshly and without fear, despite the fact that his hand was shaking slightly on his walking stick…which Kurai knew from experience hid a blade.

"Perhaps I am a monster now Danzo, but I was not always so; I distinctly remember being rather naïve and kindhearted once upon a time before a certain leader of Konoha's Black Ops. Put me through Root… What was his name? Oh wait…silly me!" Kurai chuckled as he flashed a fanged grin and tapped Danzo's cheek like one might pat a child on the head. "It was you, Danzo! You and the council, the advisors, are the ones who made me into a monster the day you started training me to forget my own humanity and kill with the utmost precision. The three of you should have listened to old man Sarutobi when he told you to let me be a normal kid: instead, I've had innumerable assassination attempts staged against me since I was only a few hours old. Mind you, when you're someone like me, a Kage level former ANBU, you get used to people wanting to kill you. However, that doesn't make it less irritating or painful when they get lucky and score a few hits." Kurai was smiling as he pulled of his Akatsuki cloak, revealing a plain fishnet tank top and black pants: his entire torso was covered in half-healed wounds of various sizes piled on top of old and new scars riddling his chest, back, and arms like tattoos. HE pointed out one right over his left lung and smiled. "Remember this one Danzo? This one is from the first time Tsunade treated me: I was a few months past my fifth birthday and you sent me into Iwagakure to assassinate the daimyo, who was visiting the village. I succeeded and completed my first S-rank mission without a single hitch…until I was on my way back." His eyes hardened and Naruto and the others were utterly entranced, unable to do anything but listen and watch while Tsunade just kept right on working on Amaya, trying to re-hydrate her.

"On my return, I was greeted by six Root elites, all more than four times my age: they were supposed to kill me. As I'm sure you remember Danzo, they failed and forfeited their lives: the next day, I resumed my post guarding Amaya-hime for Kushina-sama and Yondaime-sama. I blew my position to scold Tsuchino…" Tsuchino turned a violent shade of red at the memory as Kurai continued. "And Yondaime-sama ordered me to accompany him: my wounds were discovered in the Hokage's office and I was kept for treatment from Tsunade-hime, who returned at the request of old man Sarutobi and Yondaime-sama to tend me. I remained in the home of Yondaime until the Kyuubi attack just nine days later, whereupon I obeyed orders and removed Kushina-sama and Amaya-hime from the village until after the Kyuubi was sealed: Kushina-sama died before we returned to Konoha, but I brought her body back regardless. Yondaime was dead when we got back and only Naruto was left: now tell me, who is the monster? Me…or you elders?" Kurai walked over to a large wardrobe in the corner of the room and idly reached in, pulling out a plain black shirt and a Konoha hitae-ate, which he promptly put on: he tied the hitae-ate and hung it around his neck like a collar out of habit. He then began to dig through the drawers in the wardrobe and turned to give Tsunade a questioning look. "Tsunade-hime, surely you have the ANBU outfit I stashed in here?" Tsunade gave him a blank stare, obviously annoyed and confused, so he waved her off. "Never mind; it has to be around here somewhere…aha, bingo." He pulled out the armor of the ANBU and chuckled as he expertly put it on, holding in the slight sounds of discomfort and pain that came with using still raw injuries and sore muscles. HE turned to look at Naruto and paused, staring hard at him for several minutes before speaking. "Naruto Uzumaki…heh." He chuckled lightly as he looked over at Amaya and Tsuchino made a noise in her throat, as if to warn him off of whatever she believed he was thinking. "No, Tsuchino…Naruto deserves to know the truth: it's been kept from him for too long as it is."

"What are you talking about you werewolf freak?!" Naruto asked, pointing an accusatory finger at Kurai, who just laughed at him.

"I am talking about the truth about who you are…about your family, Naruto. I'm surprised that Tsunade-hime and Jiraiya-jijii never said anything about it. Oh well, Amaya will kill me for this later, but she'll get over it." Kurai turned back towards Tsunade and Amaya and knelt beside Amaya, brushing her fiery-gold hair from her cheek and earning a scowl from Tsunade.

"You mean she'll kill you for it when she gets out of the hospital, don't you?" Tsunade snapped evenly and Kurai sighed.

"She's stubborn like Kushina-sama Tsunade-hime; what do you propose I do when she currently hates the very mention of me, huh? Tie her down and make love to her to change her mind?" Kurai was half-serious, which was the truly funny art as Tsunade and everyone else in the room coughed and sputtered indignantly at his casual reference to sex and similar activities that pertained to intercourse in general. "I mean really, Tsunade: that is the only thing I haven't tried to get her to forgive me for pissing her off a few weeks ago. And I do not intend to take a leaf out of Jiraiya or Minato-sama's books! They may have been able to get away with that, but Amaya is not one of Jiraiya's women, you, or Kushina-sama: hence my answer is fuck that shit!" Kurai smiled as he stood up and pointed to the pictures of the four past Hokages while looking at Naruto. "As I was saying, before Tsunade distracted me…haven't you ever noticed how striking a resemblance you have to the Fourth, Naruto? Its quite uncanny really…both of you have the same blond hair, the same blue eyes. You're even about the same height he was at your age if Jiraiya tells it right…and both of you like redheads!" Now he was positively shuddering from his efforts to keep from laughing: he knew the pink-haired girl was Naruto's biggest crush, but he wasn't sure she could really be called a redhead…perhaps a 'cherry'-blond? Oh, Amaya would slap him for that pun on the girl's name if she'd heard his thoughts, but as Kurai thought about it, he realized it wasn't quite as funny after the first time it popped in his head. "You know your mother was a redhead Naruto…and a real beauty to boot; I've heard she was a monster tom boy for quite some time. Beat the snot out of your dad a couple of time too for peeping to hear Jiraiya tell it. Kakashi would remember, just like you Hatori: Naruto's mother was your aunt through your father, right?"

"Yeah…but you know my old man died in the Kyuubi attack Kurai: my mom doesn't like to think about it and I agree with her. My aunt, Yondaime, my father and the others are gone; they won't come back. Amaya knows that better than any of us so I suggest you stop this line of conversation before she wakes up and decides to torture your ass." Hatori said crossly while avoiding Naruto's eyes: he couldn't bring himself to look at his younger cousin.

"Fine, fine; I'll stop. But now he'll be curious and someone will have to tell him sooner or later." Kurai gave a wry chuckle and held up his hands in mock defeat. "But we are going to have to deal with Sasuke sooner rather than later: he and his team are getting closer and I'm willing to bet they've been followed by at least one Akatsuki member. So gird your loins and cross your hearts, people: this is gonna be one hell of a dogfight."

~Three hours later~

Tsunade was sitting at her desk, still amazed by the sheer fact that after Amaya had passed out and been set up with IVs and various monitors attached to her in Tsunade's own bedroom, Kurai had gone back out into the village and utilized the Shadow Clone jutsu to help rebuild Konoha: he had easily generated nearly fifteen hundred clones, which were performing anything from complex jutsus of all kinds to general labor. Pein had only attacked a mere four days previously, but already much of the damage -excluding the crater- had been repaired or used as an excuse to start over from scratch with better end results than the original. Kurai had then stopped in to check on Amaya before announcing that he had put together a team to fight Sasuke and his team, as well as any Akatsuki members that may also make an appearance and join the fray, before promptly departing to prepare to meet Sasuke in three days time…some fifty miles outside of Konoha. The team was well-matched and consisted of Team 7 headed by Yamato, Team 10 with Hatori, Team 8 with Tsuchino, and Kurai himself: Yamato was filling in for Kakashi, who was in a coma in the ICU, while Hatori and Tsuchino were filling in as leaders to the other two teams. Shikamaru had quickly accepted Hatori as a fair match for Asuma's slot, since the two Jounin had more than a couple similarities, while Tsuchino was heading Team 8 in light of Kurenai's advanced pregnancy: Tsuchino was not only a master of earth techniques, but a medic and a Jounin with the ability to use the Mind Transfer jutsu at far greater range than Ino or Ino's father, Inoichi. Tsuchino was also non-dependent on the shadow jutsus of the Nara clan to make good use of her Mind Transfer: she had drastically cut the time it took for her to return to her own body so that it was no longer minutes, but mere seconds during which she would be vulnerable.

Yamato was obviously the only option for heading Team 7, what with Naruto refusing to let anyone handle Sasuke without him: sure, Naruto now had Sage mode and had perfected the Rasen-shuriken so that there was little to no recoil…but Kurai still had a duty to keep the younger Kyuubi Jinchuuriki safe. The Rokubi had recently begun speaking to him again; though they were perfectly synchronized, the bijuu and the human consciousnesses were still separate and often had 'conversations' about the events around them. Currently, the Rokubi was delighting in dancing around inside Kurai's head chanting, "I told you so cublet!" to the tune of the various images of Amaya that were flitting through both of their mind's eyes: many of these same images could be called perverted…even erotic to certain extents…

:_I was right all those years ago, when you were naught but five! I told you that she would be the one to end our polygamous lifestyle: perhaps what interests me most is that you are still denying that you love her in favor of the cowardly excuse that you promised Itachi to protect her and their unborn cub._: Rokubi smirked from his self-chosen prison, which consisted of the furthest recesses of Kurai mind, body, and soul: glacial blue eyes alighted with mischievous pleasure in the back of Kurai's head and he subdued a slight snarl at his other half's opinions. :_Dear, we are grouchy today…still sore from our round with those assassins I take it? They were pretty good to land such a blow on you. It will heal, but you need to be cautious and aware of your body next time: what good will it do to go into battle to bring Sasuke back if you are killed in the process, hmm? If you are wounded severely enough, you'll go into a coma-like state until the body completely recovers and then Amaya-hime will be left without our protection, as will the others. We cannot have that happen, now can we?_:

"No, now shut the fuck up! I can't think with you chortling like a kid who just got handed the keys to the candy store about my nonexistent attachment to Amaya." Kurai snarled aloud, forgetting that he was in the kitchen of Konoha's newly rebuilt Jounin quarters: Gai, Ibiki, and Genma were looking at him like he had totally departed from his senses as he continued to argue aloud with the Rokubi's consciousness while rummaging through all his worldly possessions, looking for his lighter and cigarettes. "I am plagued with an innate sense of loyalty and obedience, no thanks to you, and cannot tell a lie anymore than I can disobey a direct order from someone with more strength than I. I was ordered to protect her and Naruto by Yondaime…and so I have. Now, I have accepted the role that was given me by the one person I held any affection for: do not assume that my actions are from more than loyalty to Itachi, Akuma." He then cursed as he emptied out the last of the of his drawers in the room Tsunade had assigned him: his cigarettes and his lighter had vanished, doubtless Tsuchino's doing since the older woman had discovered that he smoked and might be the father of Amaya's baby. Of course, the part about him having ever touched Amaya as anything more than his brother's lover had been an utter lie to make Tsunade's mind shatter, but Tsuchino did not know that and was therefore taking it upon herself to break Kurai of his 'sinful' lifestyle: this included disposing of or hiding his stash of cigarettes, porn, alcohol, and various other items he owned for equally various reasons.

:_So be it; but soon enough we will have to stop lying to ourselves…and to her._: Rokubi's conscious smirked again from his place in Kurai's mind: he was amused to no end by Kurai's annoyance with Amaya's spirited female companion. Indeed, the wolf bijuu's consciousness always had something to say when Kurai's personal emotions were involved, which had annoyed Kurai to no end for the first few months after he'd first gotten consensually laid…before he'd gotten used to it, that is. As a result of the Rokubi's constant chiding, Kurai had given the black six-tailed wolf demon the name of Akuma, for two very good reasons: 1) the Rokubi had a knack for picking topics that inevitably soured Kurai's increasingly rare good moods; and 2) 'Akuma' could be read as 'demon', 'devil', 'fiend', or 'evil spirit' depending on how it was written. Now, Kurai chose not to answer the Rokubi's consciousness, which was being unusually talkative as it was. Normally, the Rokubi just let him have full control over all of the bijuu's power and kept to his own private musings; but ever since Kurai and Amaya had had the fight in her bedroom in Kumo, the Rokubi kept nagging at him with lustful images and thoughts of Amaya…thoughts that Kurai recognized as purely his own.

"Uh, Kurai-san…are you feelin' alright?" Genma asked with his customary senbon sticking out of his mouth while he spoke: the look he wore was one of mixed concern and something that Kurai suspected to be along the lines of thinking that he was crazy.

"Fine." Kurai snapped irritably, sounding a bit harsher than he'd meant to: remembering that Genma smoked, he decided to bargain for a cigarette. "Genma, have you got any smokes on you?" Genma nodded and soundlessly produced the desired object for Kurai to take. "Thanks…" Kurai said in an honest tone, trying to show that it had not been Genma that he was annoyed with as he lit the cigarette and took a long drag off of it: he was very, very vexed wit himself. He'd realized as he listened to Tsunade tell him about Amaya's condition that he hadn't been lying when he'd been fucking with Tsunade's head about him being a poor father-figure. After all, he was a well-accomplished murderer, he smoked A LOT, he could drink until any other man would die of alcohol poisoning, and he had long since lost count of how many sexual partners he'd had. Not just that, but for him gender was irrelevant more often than not: if he could fuck it and it relieved the tension, it would do regardless of being a man or a woman. Sure he preferred women, but men could be just as amusing if not more so on certain occasions. As an added bonus, your vast majority of the male population would never get pregnant. Result? Kurai had often chosen strictly male partners to prevent unwanted pregnancies: hell, he'd once fucked several men one right after another, just to spite the other Akatsuki members who'd been on the assignment. Quite suddenly, Kurai had a realization: he was having lewd thoughts about Amaya because of a few easily identifiable problems! One was that he had not been laid in several months and Rokubi was probably fucking with his hormones as a result to get him to fuck something, **anything**, which was human and reasonable: the bijuu often got sexually frustrated and took it out on his chosen host by making Kurai horny as hell. The wolf bijuu's reasoning? If **he** was going to be horny without being able to get laid, then by the Gods Kurai wasn't going to be happy either until the Rokubi got what he wanted: a good fuck. Another problem was that Kurai had a slight pregnancy fetish: something about a woman carrying another life, so precious and vulnerable to harm, made him fiercely protective and just plain out lustful. So, since Amaya was a very attractive female and currently pregnant with Itachi's child, this made her doubly desirable to the Rokubi incarnate's sex-deprived mind and body. Lastly, there was the problem that Kurai was trying to quit smoking and drinking, which made him very testy when paired with certain other aspects that had been brought to his attention: Kabuto had spliced some of Orochimaru's flesh into his own body, and would subsequently be the new body of the Snake Sannin, while Sasuke seemed hell bent on destroying Konoha.

Add Kurai's recently acquired knowledge, courtesy of Itachi's crow Tengu, that Madara now knew of Kurai's obvious defection from Akatsuki and his alliance to Konoha, which had never wavered truthfully, and you got a very hostile situation that would undoubtedly end in bloodshed and death. Madara had decided to send Zetsu and Kisame with Sasuke as insurance of his and Naruto's capture, so now Kurai knew that his presence on the team going to meet and capture Sasuke was not only a safeguard, but a dire necessity: there was no way that the three teams consisting of one genin Jinchuuriki, one Root, seven Chûnin, two Jounin, and one undercover ANBU could defeat Sasuke with his Team Eagle when Kisame and Zetsu would also be part of the battle. No, Kurai would have to go if for no other reason than to find and kill Zetsu before helping to dispatch Kisame and his Samehada. But first, he thought that he might find someone to fuck…but who would be a good choice? More importantly, who was available to him? Iruka belonged to Kakashi, though neither man had yet to admit it to anyone beyond their own sexual encounters, so that ruled out the kind-hearted Chûnin. Kotetsu and Izumo were the same, so that was a double no-go…Gai worried him and in several ways repulsed him sexually, so that was a resounding 'no'. Kakashi himself was still comatose and, as he'd already acknowledged, paired with Iruka. Briefly, Kurai admitted that he could always go younger than himself rather than older…perhaps he could find one of the girls Naruto's age who was willing to have the fuck of her life with him…? He banished the thought as quickly as it sprang to mind, growling at himself. He was no cradle-robber and had a strict age limit when it came to younger partners: he would touch no male or female that was even a day more than three years younger than himself. Giving a frustrated sigh, he decided to check on Amaya one last time before going to find a fucking partner: he would later recall that this simple choice could be considered either the wisest or worst decision he would ever make… It all depended on how one chose to look at what followed.


	8. Newfound Bonds

**WARNING!!** There is a lemon(more like shameless smut really… ^^; ) in this chapter, so if you wish to skip it, I have put the appropriate warning within the text. Thank you and enjoy! Also, please don't forget to comment.

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Promises to Keep, Chapter Eight: Newfound Bonds

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Amaya had been moved from Tsunade's bedroom to another bedchamber in the Hokage tower, but Kurai only needed to follow his nose to find her. He was aware that Tsunade was talking with the team he'd organized for meeting Sasuke in three days, but they were a floor above the room where Amaya was resting, hooked up to various monitors and IVs: already she was showing marked improvement. Tsunade had instructed for medicines to be directly administered to Amaya through the IVs…medicines that allowed her to eat and keep the food in long enough to absorb adequate nutrition. Now, Amaya was awake and staring out the window at the setting sun when Kurai came in, knocking lightly before he entered. She started but finally gave him a small and soft smile as she seemed to realize who it was: perhaps they'd given her more than just nausea medications… Kurai chuckled lightly before coming in and placing a hand on her forehead: her fever had broken, which was always a good thing. He then made himself comfortable by casually sitting on the edge of the large -and comfortable- bed that she'd been given: she didn't seem to care, though, as she simply scooted over to give him more room. For a long time they simply sat in silence, neither looking at the other. Then, she suddenly reached out and caught his chin, forcing him to look at her.

"You haven't killed him, you know…" She said thoughtfully, as if talking more to herself than to him. "Itachi will die how he wants to die and you were right: I should move on and be happy for the time I had with him. He left me this baby and I think he wanted you to be her father for a reason: he saw good in you when I didn't, though I honestly don't know why I didn't…" She gave a wry laugh and he blinked at her, unable to look away from her: she was so sad in that moment, so helpless and yet…she enchanted him without even trying. "I suppose that I did not see the truth about you because I did not wish to see, just as I did not remember my parents because I chose to suppress the pain and the memories that went with it. Aren't I a great big fool, Kurai?" He saw the tears as they slid soundlessly down her cheeks and without thinking about it, he answered her with a question of his own.

"What is it that causes you to keep smiling, even when you're shattering inside?" Kurai did not know that Itachi had once asked her that very same question, but she could only laugh as more tears spilled over before she suddenly was clinging to his chest, sobbing without restraint. Kurai was startled at first, but after a moment he felt his heart soften and his protectiveness of her win the war in his head, while the Rokubi was simply laughing his ass off at him. :_I told you that you would have to stop lying to yourself and admit that you love her…but would you listen? No, you always think you know better cublet: perhaps this will give you more confidence in your own heart!_: Kurai pointedly ignored the Rokubi as he fought the desire to kiss away Amaya's tears and possibly do much more than that. He did not want to frighten her or force her into anything when Itachi had only been dead a little over a month: he had not even told her that Itachi was dead yet, much less about Jiraiya. But after nearly fifteen minutes, she raised her eyes to his and he was stricken with what he saw there. "Kurai, please understand that I recently realized something of grave importance." Kurai gave her an odd look but wisely said nothing, merely waiting for her to continue. "I recently discovered that I love not only Itachi, but you as well. I think that Itachi realized this before I did and I can't imagine him being angry about it, not when he has asked you to raise the baby as your own." Kurai suddenly realized what she might be thinking even as she said it. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I'll be damned if I'm going to raise a baby with a man I've never slept with." Kurai couldn't help it: he laughed at her, which made her confused and a bit annoyed if he was reading her body language right. When he was finally able to stop laughing, Kurai gave her one of the sexiest smirks she'd ever seen on him before pulling her into a deep and urgent kiss: Amaya did not pull away and was soon leaning into him. He knew that he was probably a bit rougher than Itachi had ever been, but he was making a conscious effort to be gentle with her.

_****WARNING: SMUT! IF YOU WANT TO SKIP THE SEX, GO TO **END SMUT**: IT WILL LOOK JUST LIKE THIS****_

There was no need of words, since both of them knew what they wanted and needed. Kurai was glad now that he was only wearing a pair of black pants, a plain black sleeveless shirt, and his boots: it would be that much easier to get rid of clothing when neither of them were wearing excessive amounts. Kurai licked and pulled at Amaya's lip with his own tongue and teeth, careful not to break the delicate skin in his demand for admittance. Slowly, Amaya let her lips part to give him free range to explore her mouth and she then forced him to let her do the same, which prompted a low growl from him as he let his hands slide over her body. After a moment, he broke the kiss and was pulling the long nightshirt from her body, recognizing it as one of Iruka's as he carelessly tossed it aside to reveal her luscious body in all of its nude glory. Amaya gave him a teasing smile as she pulled on his own shirt, and he took the hint: it joined her shirt of the floor seconds later. Her delicate and soft fingers began tracing over his scar-riddled chest and stomach, hovering briefly on his hips before snaking around his body to feel out his back and shoulders. Kurai felt a shudder pass through him as she ran one delicate fingertip up his spine and he resumed his exploration of her body with his lips and tongue, beginning at her jaw line and tracing a scalding line down her neck. Softly crying out as he unexpectedly bit down on the soft flesh of her neck, Amaya felt a wave of pleasure course through her, only slightly marred by pain as she felt him move to a spot slightly lower: her collarbone. He did not stop kissing, licking, and biting until he reached her breasts, with her pleasantly erect nipples offering such sweet temptations. Smiling, he let the very tip of his tongue dart out to tease the flesh and caused her to gasp at the obvious pleasure such a simple action evoked. Pleased that he had found something that could make her squirm, he licked at her left nipple experimentally before cupping her full breast in one hand and pressed his other into the small of her back to prevent her from trying to move away from him.

Amaya moaned softly as he began to suckle her breast, teasing with swirls of his tongue and the barest of nips to the tender flesh. Just when she thought she couldn't stand it, he pulled away and she whimpered at the loss of his attentions. "Relax," Kurai murmured as he pressed his lips against her other breast and she felt herself becoming wetter with her need for him. "I intend to have a lot more fun with you." He chuckled as he licked her right breast and she made a sound he had not thought her capable of: she whimpered low in her throat and it was a sound that made him extremely possessive, since he had been the one to cause her to make it. Deciding that it was time to move his attentions to lower, more pleasurable areas, Kurai carefully pushed her back onto the bed and ran his hands over the curves of her, pausing briefly on the soft, barely perceptible swell of her belly. Tilting his head as if curious, Amaya watched him lean over her and press his lips against that same soft swell where the baby -Itachi's baby- lay within, protected and oblivious. He began to kiss a soft pattern over her belly and she realized that he was purposely hitting all of the chakra points: this caused quite the sensation to ripple through her as she felt something warm and wet in the place of each kiss. Watching him, she saw that he had bitten his lip, allowing the blood to mark each chakra point that he kissed. She was in far too much pleasure to question what he was doing, but it looked suspiciously as if he was performing a seal or a jutsu as he pulled away to trace signs in his blood across her belly. Then, as he leaned in for one last kiss to the center of the design he'd drawn in his blood, she felt a surge of his chakra press into her through his lips and was hit by a powerful wave of ecstasy. When it passed, she lay there panting and sweating while he watched her; that sexy smirk was back and she was helpless to remove it from him. After a moment he leaned down and recaptured her lips as he kicked off his boots: she took advantage of his close proximity and unerringly felt for the waistband of his pants. When she located it, she felt him momentarily freeze before giving a low growl that was actually not intimidating in the least: for all his roughness and the fact that she knew he could easily kill her, she was not afraid of him in the slightest.

"Are you sure you want this?" He asked quietly as he held himself above her, all of his weight resting on his elbows as she slid his pants just far enough down to fully expose his throbbing erection. Amaya chose to answer by taking his length into her hand and slowly, torturously sliding her hand up and down him: Kurai closed his eyes and another low growl welled up from his throat, though it was actually a pleasing sound when laced with lust and passion as it was now. He needed no further convincing as he repositioned their bodies to allow him easier access to her wet and waiting opening. She was poised beneath him, wanting him as much as he wanted her and he felt a swell of pride that he had finally gotten something he truly wanted without having to go through sheer hell to get it. He was not taking anything from her by force or any other means that could be labeled as dishonorable: what he was about to take had been freely offered. Smiling, he pushed himself inside of her and was instantly flooded with the pure pleasure that was being one with her. She cried out as he filled her, but not because it hurt…rather, it felt so good that she was unable to contain the cry of pleasured surprise. Kurai slowly pulled almost entirely out of her before quickly sliding back in: he soon set a fast and hard pace, though he was extremely careful not to penetrate her too far and to be cautious of the baby. Amaya was positively writhing beneath him out of pure pleasure and he smiled as he leaned in to nip gently at her neck. Crying out, she clung to his shoulders as her vision was repeatedly flooded with flashes of bright lights and something akin to an electrical pulse coursed through her veins. Somehow or other, her fingers became tangled in his shaggy, shoulder-length hair as he continued to pump in and out of her: he could feel her beginning to reach her peak and he forced himself to hold his own climax. She screamed his name as she came hard, tightening around him and forcing him to slow his pace almost to a total halt: he was vaguely aware that Tsunade and anyone else within a four floor range had probably heard them by now and was privately amused. Let them walk in on him fucking her: it would serve them right since they'd assumed the kid was his anyways. Besides, so far, only Tsunade and the few who had been in her office when she'd questioned him about Amaya's condition knew that he'd mentioned the fact that the baby 'might' not be his: this meant that he had not actually said whether the baby was his or not, and he intended to leave them guessing.

Anyone else would just get told straight up that the baby was his and, taking that into account, what did it matter if he and Amaya decided to fuck in Hokage tower before he left to fight with Sasuke and other Akatsuki members in three days' time? Still smiling, he began to pick back up his fast pace as soon as Amaya started to loosen with the end of her orgasm: he knew that he'd probably get her off at least once more before he allowed himself to finish. It didn't take long for his little prediction to be made a reality as she came again and he found himself unable to restrain himself: they both cried out as they climaxed together. Shuddering slightly, Kurai managed to support himself on his elbows long enough to maneuver and lay on his side beside her without removing himself from inside of her: in his experience, many women liked the feel of having their partner still inside for a short time right after the climax, since men generally pulsed as an aftereffect of an orgasm, caressing the sensitive walls of their partner's sex as a result. After perhaps two minutes had passed and Amaya began to wriggle, Kurai slowly and gently slid himself from within her.

_****END SMUT: IF YOU SKIPPED IT, IT IS SAFE TO READ AGAIN. YOU DIDN'T MISS MUCH FOR PLOT PURPOSES.****_

Amaya gave a content sigh as she carefully lay herself close against him and smiled as she brushed a lock of stray hair from his eyes. He returned the smile as he possessively wrapped his arms around her and decided to pull a blanket from the foot of the bed up and over them. It wouldn't do to have someone come in and see her fully naked, because then Kurai would undoubtedly have the urge to kill them for the embarrassment she would certainly feel. As Amaya happily slipped into sleep, Kurai watched her and was aware that someone had indeed heard them: he could sense at least three people standing outside the door. He recognized Tsunade's chakra easily enough, as well as Tsuchino's, but the last confused him until a light bulb went off in the form of Rokubi making a snide remark. :_It is the Sannin woman, your mate's female companion, and a young girl with pink hair…I do believe that she will never forget what she has just seen. She might even fantasize about it, since she knows you are an Uchiha._: Came the dry and obviously amused commendation of the wolf bijuu. :_You are effectively corrupting the youth of this village and you have only been back for perhaps four hours. My congratulations to you cublet: you would make a fine bijuu!_: The Rokubi was completely lost to his mirth and Kurai decided that he needed to do something about their stunned audience: he easily and skillfully slid out of Amaya's arms without waking her and she made a soft sound as she tried to snuggle closer to him. With a soft purr-like growl of contentment, Kurai kissed the crown of her fire-gold hair and pulled his pants back to their proper place before he cautiously slid out of her bed. Amaya made a sound of sleepy displeasure but simply curled into the warmth left by his body instead as he chuckled and picked up his shirt. Pulling the garment back on over his head, he realized that in this shirt, the Uchiha crest tattooed on his right upper arm was plain for all to see: Fugaku had insisted that if Danzo was to get the boy, he was going to have the Uchiha crest permanently imprinted on him. He had forgotten about the tattoo for the better part of his life, using rouge to disguise it and his ANBU tattoo on the opposite arm after leaving Konoha twelve years ago to monitor Orochimaru's movements. Shrugging because he knew that it would be pointless to hide either tattoo now, Kurai strode over to the door to Amaya's temporary room and calmly stepped out: as he'd gotten up, the door had been quickly closed the fraction of a crack it had been open to allow the trio outside to watch. Frowning, he realized that though only the three females had been watching, there were a few others outside as well. Snarling lightly, he met Tsunade's furious glare with one of his own.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?!" She asked dangerously as Kurai accounted for everyone in the hall: Naruto was there, looking not only a bit hot and bothered by what he had heard but not seen but a bit concerned as well, with Tsunade, Tsuchino, Iruka -who looked as if he might die of shame-, and the pink-haired girl, Sakura, who was now blushing ten times darker than her hair.

"Well, _**I**_ was enjoying a very good and well-deserved fuck…" Kurai's voice was positively menacing as he glared at Tsunade. "But you kinda spoiled it by watching, Tsunade-hime." Now he smiled cheerfully and Iruka choked as he realized that Kurai was imitating Kakashi's 'aggressively nice' attitude. "Of course, I realize that it was probably the best show any of you have ever seen or heard! How thoughtless of me to expect privacy when I want to be intimate and make passionate love to the mother of my child!" Tsunade was still furious with him but it seemed that her ability to form coherent words had left her: she was only able to snarl barely intelligible threats at him as she stormed away, Kurai happily waving at her retreating back. Turning his attention back to the others, all of whom were staring mutely after Tsunade, Kurai smiled and laughed. "Sorry, I should have realized that somebody would hear, what with us being in the Hokage tower and all. I hope that Sakura-chan here will be able to recover: she looks like she might faint at any moment!" He laughed again as he placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder and leaned in, like he was about to tell them all a very well-kept secret. "The Uchiha clan is a truly marvelous thing; the Sharingan is very impressive. You already know it copies all ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu with the exception of bloodline abilities, right?" They all nodded and he smiled wickedly, preparing to drop the final bomb. "Well, the Sharingan can copy more than jutsu…it can copy lots of other stuff, too. An Uchiha can learn how to cook, dance, and do all sorts of jobs just by watching it once with the Sharingan." The four of them gaped at him but he wasn't done breaking their brains yet. "However, a little known secret is that the Sharingan can also be used to copy sexual positions and techniques: you'll not find a better lover than an Uchiha who studies the art of sex with their Sharingan." Success! Naruto and Sakura both stared at him as if he was something utterly erotic before backing away like roaches from a light: he could tell that both had instantly thought of Sasuke. Iruka had gotten a nosebleed and was muttering something as he quickly made his escape while Tsuchino eyed him suspiciously.

"You're not making that up, are you?" She finally asked with total seriousness as she followed him back into Amaya's room.

"Nope; every damn word was true." He chuckled evilly as he walked back over to Amaya and sat on the edge of the bed, pulling on his boots. "Hey, do me a favor Tsuchino: tell Amaya that I had to go take care of something but that I'll be back in the morning. Please?" He asked when she gave him another doubtful look: she caved under the slightly pleading look he gave her and he thanked her before using Hiraishin and vanishing. The more she got to know him and the longer she spent around him, the more Tsuchino was starting to approve of him and even like him: after all, she was Hatori's wife and with Amaya being raised as Hatori's sister, the two kunoichi had become very much like sisters over the years.

"He may be lean, mean, and crude most of the time…but he definitely has that same peacefulness about him that Itachi had." Tsuchino said fondly shaking her head as she picked up Amaya's clothes and checked on her adopted younger sister's condition. "He really is nothing but an unpredictable, good-hearted man forced into unfortunate circumstances…" As she examined the monitor that displayed Amaya's vitals and a few other things, such as her level of hydration and her weight, Tsuchino's mind went momentarily blank from surprise at what she saw. "But how…?" She asked as she re-read the levels and vitals: Amaya had gained nearly a pound since Tsuchino had last checked on her an hour previously, and as Tsuchino gently examined her without waking her, she was shocked to discover that Amaya's health was drastically improving all of a sudden. There was no explanation for it that Tsuchino could find…until she pulled the blanket from Amaya to dress her in a simple pair of pajama pants and a tank top: there, on her stomach, was a fresh seal made in blood that was slowly settling into her skin like a tattoo. Tsuchino knew that the seal, depending on what kind it was, would vanish after it had completed its designed purpose, but she had never seen a seal like this one: it was extremely intricate and looked to have been created with aspects of at least three other sealing jutsu and other jutsu as well. As she traced one finger along the lines, she heard Amaya softly whisper Kurai's name before the younger girl shifted away from Tsuchino's fingers and made a purr-like noise as she snuggled deep into the blanket where Kurai had lain. "Of course!" Tsuchino slapped her own forehead as the realization of who could have placed the seal struck her. "Kurai put this jutsu or seal or whatever on her! And I'll just bet that this seal is what's causing the sudden turnaround in her health!" She laughed as she finished slipping the tank top and pajama pants -not without a bit of difficulty, mind you- onto Amaya and pulled the covers back up onto the other woman. "I have to tell Tsunade-sama about this and somebody will have to ask Kurai about the specifics of this seal he made…or something could go very wrong."

~A small abandoned cottage in River Country, bordering the Rain Country~

Kurai shook himself thoroughly as he slipped inside the dry warmth of the cottage and he heard someone complain as they got an impromptu shower from the amount of water that came off of Kurai in his large, one-tailed wolf form: outside, it was an absolute deluge and Kurai had taken his wolf form to get out of the rain all that much quicker. The pros of his wolf forms were increased speed and agility as well as having a wolf's strength, but the cons were a thick and heavy pelt that held far more heat and moisture than clothes did on any given day. Still shaking his head and shoulders, Kurai returned to his normal body and glared at the white-haired man who had the audacity to complain about a little water when Kurai had practically had to swim to get into the secluded little valley that housed the cottage: if anyone should complain about the water being frigid, it was Kurai.

"Goddamn it, Rai! Now I'm soaked too!" Came from the much older ninja who was reclining on the couch in the center of the small cottage's main room and Kurai decided to ignore him in favor of striping off his clothes, which were drenched and sticking to his skin like a very cold and uncomfortable second skin. The older ninja watched him and resigned himself to grumbling in irritation as Kurai reached full nudity and wrapped a blanket hanging from a nearby chair around himself, sitting in front of the large fireplace in efforts to warm himself.

"J-just…be glad…I came b-back…to get you…in s-such forsaken…w-weather!" Kurai growled through chattering teeth, causing the white-haired ninja to laugh at him. "D-don't…make me r-regret…saving y-your ass…from Pein!"

"I won't, but did you have to shake all that water around?" The man asked while still chuckling at how funny Kurai sounded trying to growl past chattering teeth. "I mean, couldn't you have just gone back to normal and striped without shaking?" Kurai glared at him as his teeth slowly began to stop chattering as his body began generating its own heat as electricity coursed through him: he was like a living generator for power and heat, but the rain had been coming down so hard and had been so frigid that it had completely negated his internal 'heater' qualities which generally made people living near him uncomfortable.

"Well excuse me…" Kurai said as he used the blanket to rub some of the water out of his hair and momentarily became a vision of a living piece of fabric as he disappeared into the blanket while roughly drying his hair. "For having all of the characteristics of a wolf, which _is_ a canine by the way, hardwired into my system courtesy of the Rokubi!" Kurai snapped as he let the blanket, which was now wet near the top, fall down around his hips. "I can still leave you here to heal yourself Jiraiya!" Jiraiya pretended to look wounded, holding one hand over his heart as Kurai kept speaking. "You want me to do that or do you want me to take you back to Konoha? 'Cause I can still leave you here for everyone to believe dead, y'know!"

"Aw, come on Rai! I was only messing with you! Besides, you know that most of my injuries have healed only with your gracious attentiveness! If you hadn't found me, I would have been a real goner with such injuries! To repay you, I've been working on a new book!" Kurai raised an eyebrow, looking not only skeptical, but annoyed. "Oh, no…don't even ask me what it's about because I won't tell you! It is a very in-depth and laborious process: I'm having to do loads of information gathering for it. But since I've been holed up in this place, recovering, I'm not even an eighth done with the necessary research, so the book itself won't be done for at least another two years. As for your threat to leave me here for dead, I don't think you would do that: you're too much of an inner nice-guy." Jiraiya laughed as Kurai rose, holding the blanket about his waist, and shook his head in exasperation.

"Fine, but it better not be one of your 'specialty' books, like Icha Icha Paradise or Icha Icha Tactics…" Kurai warned menacingly, glaring at the Toad Sannin: that was the last thing he needed. He could already imagine what that kind of 'repayment' would include: Jiraiya would use him to model a character and probably base the character off of him not only in personality but looks. This meant that if anyone one ever read the book or series -Gods forbid Jiraiya should make a whole series with him depicted in it, in any manner!- and then recognized him from it, he'd never get the groupies to leave him in peace. "I will kill you if you put me in any of your smutty books because that wouldn't do well if Amaya found one of Kakashi's copies and cornered me about it!" Kurai stated quite loudly, to ensure that Jiraiya got the message, and with fierce finality as he rummaged through a closet in a bedroom just off the main room. After a few minutes, he found what he was looking for and slipped into pair of warm pants and a long-sleeved fishnet shirt as he re-emerged from the room.

"No, it's nothing like that…" Jiraiya began, waving away Kurai's concerns before he came to one of his own. "Wait a second! Why should Amaya-chan care if you were in one of my "Icha Icha"s?" He demanded while glaring at the eldest Uchiha through narrowed eyes.

"Because she's pregnant…with my child: I think that gives her the right to be jealous if you were to model a character after me in your pornographic writings, don't you?" Kurai replied nonchalantly as he pulled on a thick t-shirt over the fishnet one while Jiraiya turned several different colors before paling considerably: Kurai patiently waited for it…for the Sannin to start cussing him out like Tsunade had done, but Jiraiya surprised him by chuckling.

"So, she ended up with you after all, huh?" His chuckle escalated into outright laughter, which made Kurai raise a curious eyebrow.

"You find it…amusing…that Amaya and I are lovers?" He asked with a mild smirk as he approached the older man. Jiraiya could only nod his head, lost in the throws of mirth. Kurai chuckled as he held out a coat for Jiraiya to put on. "Well, I'm glad that at least you approve more than Tsunade-hime does: she caught us fucking in Hokage tower and I must say she was quite impressive in her rage." Jiraiya took the coat and was slipping it on when Kurai's words caused him to nearly fall off the couch he'd been resting on: he could just imagine how that had gone down…and it was priceless! Kurai sighed and chuckled as he helped the hysterically laughing man to stand: he knew Jiraiya would catch his death if they returned to Konoha the way he'd come -walking through the rain-, so he was going to use Hiraishin to bring them right into Tsunade's office. As he activated the jutsu, he idly wondered what Amaya was doing…and how she was doing now that he had placed the seal on her.

~Konoha, the morning after the return~

It was roughly seven in the morning and Tsunade had let Amaya free of all the monitors and IVs, since she no longer seemed to need them: she had already regained five pounds and was looking much better than she had when Kurai had carried her into the Hokage's office some twenty hours previously. Now, Amaya was wandering around the village, with a medic hot on her heels, and had, quite accidentally, found Naruto training with Konohamaru: as she'd walked up, Konohamaru was just shouting out "Double-knockout Girls Harem no Jutsu!" Caught off guard and undeniably curious, she looked on in silence as the boy used a combination of transformation jutsu and the multiple shadow clone jutsu: the result was a mass of naked girls, all engaged in some form of sexually suggestive action with at least one other of the other girls. Naruto was obviously very impressed, judging from his jubilant shout of approval. Watching, Amaya had a sudden thought as Konohamaru released the jutsu and walked forward, lightly touching Naruto's shoulder.

"Naru-chan…you invented that jutsu, correct?" She asked calmly and without giving away any of her thoughts. Naruto proudly acknowledged that he had and she smiled. "Have any girls ever tried to use it, or is Konohamaru the only one you've taught?" Naruto looked puzzled but said that no, he'd never taught anyone else how to use it: Amaya nodded and chuckled as she thought of all the possible implications and potential this jutsu possessed…she'd have to get Kurai and possibly a Hyuuga to observe while someone performed the jutsu, so that she could get a confirmation of her suspicions. Had she not currently been pregnant, she would have tested it herself to see if her theory was correct; she wouldn't, however, on the off-chance that she was and the jutsu's possible adverse side-effects that could harm the baby. So, for now, she would settle for making someone else her guinea pig with Kurai or a Hyuuga observing to back up any corroborations or discrepancies in the true nature of the jutsu: her suspicions were that Naruto had created a jutsu that actually changed the subject's gender, not just gave the illusion of change. This meant that even though the Sexy no jutsu had been designed as a prank, it had uncertain potential for reconnaissance missions and possibly other uses as well… Oh, yes…she'd definitely have to pursue this little treasure trove of information and possibilities, but not right now. Right now, she was going t treat Naruto to ramen at Ichiraku's and go speak with Tsunade about setting up living arrangements for Kurai and herself: they would have to live somewhere, and she highly doubted that leaving Kurai in the Jounin quarters was a very good idea given his track record and…unique…living habits. Shrugging as she listened to Konohamaru and Naruto brag about their respective contributions to the jutsu, Amaya smiled and told Naruto that she had to go, but that they would talk again soon. She then made her way back to Tsunade's office to discuss the amusing yet vexing problems that always seemed to come up whenever she let herself get involved with a particular set of brothers, her own included.

~Tsunade's office, ten a.m.~

Tsunade sat behind her desk, jaw slightly agape, staring at Kurai, who had just appeared in the same room with Jiraiya leaning on his shoulder: Amaya was in a similar state of shock, since she too, had been calmly conversing about the complications that inherently came of living near to or with Kurai. As soon as they saw the condition of Jiraiya, both women were reaching forward to help him to the couch in the corner of Tsunade's office. Amaya then rounded on Kurai, anger and hurt stinging in her eyes: he had not told her about this and she had been told that Jiraiya was dead by Hatori… And he had let her believe that it was true, even though he had obviously known otherwise. She wondered what else he had kept hidden from her, such as information about Itachi, for he was well-informed in most things. As Tsunade was examining Jiraiya, Kurai made to touch Amaya's shoulder but she pulled away with a rather impressive snarl of rage and knelt in front of Jiraiya instead.

"Jiraiya-jiisan, what happened to you? Hatori told me that you went to Amegakure and were killed by Pein!" Tsunade shot Kurai a nasty glare while saying that she would also like to know what was going on.

"Pein did win…and I was quite nearly dead." Jiraiya said simply despite his voice sounding a bit off from the fact that his crushed throat had only recently recovered with Kurai's help. "As I was sinking into the water after the fight, a monstrous black dog dove in and pulled me out a few miles away from the village. I say black dog because I thought that was what it was…" Jiraiya started to chuckle but stopped and rubbed his throat, which was still a fair deal sore. "Hmm…anyway, that dog then turned into a man, Kurai, and he took me to a small cottage in River Country, just outside the border of Rain." Jiraiya was eyeing Kurai thoughtfully as the younger man maintained a careful distance from the obviously displeased women: apparently the years he'd spent in Root had not been easily forgotten. He was tense, prepared for an attack on his person even if he wasn't actually expecting one, and ready to retaliate if necessary: Jiraiya sighed as he realized that Kurai would always be looking over his shoulder, ready for the next batch of assassins and bounty-hunters after his head. Perhaps, just maybe, Amaya would be able to help him relax and recover some of the things that had been denied to him for so long: family, love, compassion, and mercy…but most importantly, was the ability to trust and accept the friendship of others… Kurai needed that more than anything else in the world; someone to see him for not only for what he was, but for who he was…and to love him anyway. He paused, taking a breath before he continued speaking, banishing the thoughts he'd been entertaining about the Rokubi incarnate. "Once we were at this cottage, he set up a series of barriers and traps the likes of which even Orochimaru wouldn't want to mess with: one wrong step and may the Gods have mercy on you, basically, because nobody else would. Then he set up an extremely elaborate jutsu that split my injuries with him and I guess allowed me to draw on his healing powers as the Rokubi…something like that, right Rai?" Jiraiya looked over at Kurai, who made a noncommittal sound low in his throat as Amaya began to silently cry: the six-tailed bijuu's chosen host knelt beside her and titled her chin up, forcing her to look at him.

"Why are you crying this time?" He asked gently and the two Sannin were both caught off-guard by his next actions. Amaya refused to answer him and just shook her head, hiccupping; Kurai sighed as she shook her head and he pulled her into a hug, murmuring soothing nothings without knowing why he did so. "Amaya, if you do not tell me what is wrong, then how can I help you to right it?" He cupped her face in his hands and pressed his forehead to hers, knowing that Itachi often would do the same thing and that it always calmed her: she gave him a weak, slightly hysterical laugh and poked his forehead.

"Sorry, Kurai…maybe next time." Kurai sat there, dumbfounded before a playfully dangerous smirk began to play across his lips. "No, no… No!" Amaya said as she tried to get away…but too late! Kurai pounced on her and held her pressed against the floor, one knee on either side of her hips.

"For your information, little hime…Itachi wasn't even allowed to do that!" Kurai said calmly while watching her struggle. "And if he wasn't allowed to do it, what makes you think that you'll get away with it?"

"Only that I'm much more enticing than he was for making a heartfelt apology." Amaya laughed up at him before moving her hips just right to knick him in a rather sensitive area: cursing, Kurai let her go in favor of defending what honor he had left. Jiraiya and Tsunade were both laughing as Amaya sprinted out of the office and Kurai took a few minutes before chasing after her: indeed, perhaps they weren't such a bad match after all.


	9. The Return

Author's Note: I suck at writing fights, though I picture them well enough in my head…hence, I'm sorry if this disappoints you but you'll have to imagine a lot if not all of the fight between Sasuke's team and the group from Konoha… Like I said, sorry but I just can't get the flow of fight scenes down… Anyways, have fun and don't forget to comment/review!

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Promises to Keep, Chapter Nine: The Return

* * *

Kurai shifted easily into Zetsu's range: he wanted the plant-like shinobi to sense him and divert attention away from the rest of the group from Konoha. If Zetsu was distracted by Kurai, then the others could sneak up on Team Eagle and Kisame. Sure enough, moments after he slipped into Zetsu's range, the venus fly trap man appeared out of the ground behind Kurai and launched a jutsu at him. Dodging, Kurai unleashed a Great Fireball and hit the plant man head on: Zetsu cursed as he put the flames out and was forced out of his hiding spot.

"So you knew **that I was there**…" Zetsu said thoughtfully, looking his opponent over carefully: Kurai was already injured from the way he was moving, though not recently. The wounds were probably more than half-healed if he was able to maintain that level of flexibility and keep from getting hit: the injuries were no longer a liability and, as such, were of no consequence to Zetsu… He could not use them against the wolf bijuu's host. "But I wonder **if you can keep up with me!**" Zetsu said before sinking back into the landscape and slipping away into a nearby cliff-face: Kurai was there and Zetsu cursed in shock as the former Akatsuki member caught him when he left the rock to dodge the blow aimed where his head had just been. Kurai knew that one-on-one, close-combat was the best way to beat Zetsu, since the plant shinobi preferred to make long-range attacks and often avoided direct contact period. So he was just forcing his hand, forcing Zetsu out where he could get a hold of him and rip his head off. Therefore, Kurai was not expecting the dagger that found its way into his ribcage and left lung, sinking hungrily into his chest cavity and sending a gush of blood from the deep wound: bright crimson blood, the brightest blood in the body…blood from the lungs. He felt the lung fill with the bright fluid and then collapse, unable to function when filled with the very life-giving liquid it oxygenated. Snarling while blood dripped from his lips, Kurai caught Zetsu's throat in one hand and lifted the other man well above his head before launching him with all the force he could towards the cliff-face fifty yards away: this sent the plant shinobi flying right over the heads of the Leaf platoons and the five Akatsuki shinobi. All of them turned as one to look between Zetsu's limp form and Kurai's formidable one as the Rokubi incarnate stalked towards them while roaring his rage and ripping the dagger from his chest, spilling even more of his blood as he came.

"That was low Zetsu…especially for you." Kurai snarled savagely as he caught the Grass shinobi's skull in one hand and sent a large amount of his deadly black electrical chakra surging into the man's body: Zetsu died screaming, by means of electrocution at the hands of the Black Death that was Kurai. Slowly, he turned to glare at Kisame and they all saw the shark-like man shudder as Kurai's Mangekyou Sharingan bore into his very soul, pinning him with a powerful genjutsu. Kurai moved faster than lightning, striking Kisame even as the shark was released from the genjutsu and barely managed to swing his Samehada at his attacker: so far, Sasuke and his Team Eagle had remained out of the fight, along with the others from Konoha…Kurai had specifically told them not to engage unless Team Eagle or Kisame did so first. An angry snarl of rage and pain escaped from Kurai as Samehada ripped into his right side, but he ignored the pain, pulling himself further up the sword instead so that he could land a powerful kick to Kisame's gut. Kisame was sent stumbling back several feet and Kurai used sheer willpower to wrest the Samehada from the larger man, driving it into the ground as far as the hilt. Black sparks of electricity were crackling off of Kurai and into the space around him, rippling over the surface of trees, the ground, and rocks while killing all plant life it touched from the sheer heat of it. Kisame smiled appreciatively as he wiped a trickle of blood from his chin.

"I should have expected that." He chuckled as he straightened up, facing Kurai as the smaller man tested one hand against the vicious wounds to his right side: Samehada was not made for cutting or slicing, but for ripping and tearing flesh in the fashion of a shark's jaws and teeth. Kurai snarled at the sharp stabs of pain that were incessantly firing through his body, vaguely aware that he was losing insane amounts of blood: Kisame seemed to have gotten lucky. Samehada had hit a major blood vessel on top of Kurai's already collapsed lung that continued to leak dangerously bright blood with every breath he took. "Nothing less from you…it's like fighting Itachi-san again, before he got sick." Kurai felt something in him crack at the mention of his twin's name and his 'illness'…if Kisame added any more pressure, whatever it was would shatter; Kurai had a sneaking suspicion that he was feeling the deterioration of his self-control and that he would become blood-drunk if Kisame kept it up. Kisame launched a series of jutsu at him, which he dodged easily before appearing behind the shark and slamming his right elbow down onto Kisame's left temple as the larger man turned to connect a retaliating punch to Kurai's already injured ribcage. Kurai twisted at an impossible angle and spun away in midair, with a grunt of pain, before landing in a wolf-like crouch snarling while he prepared to lunge at the shark. "Come on, Kurai-san…if you're going to look and act just like him, then give me a fight worthy of Itachi-san!" Sasuke made the slightest indication of interest as his eyes flickered between Kisame and this man, Kurai, whom he had never seen nor heard of prior to this encounter. Kisame kept referring to his brother when speaking to Kurai…and it was making Kurai very dangerous; even Team Eagle could see that much.

Kurai gave a roar-like snarl and vanished: Naruto and the others who were watching the fight all gasped as the Rokubi incarnate reappeared directly behind Kisame and sent his bare hand through the older and larger man's stomach, purposely missing all bones and vital points. The shark-like shinobi's mouth opened in a startled exclamation and blood spilled out, much in the fashion of vomit, as Kurai withdrew his hand and dealt another blow to his opponent's chest, piercing the spinal column but not the heart. When Kurai easily slid his hand out of his victim's chest with a low growl, Kisame staggered a few steps before falling to his knees and landing face-down in the dirt, either unconscious or dead: no one was going to stop and check which as Suigetsu decided to 'claim' Samehada. The other Mist shinobi didn't even touch the hilt before Kurai was standing next to him and had flung out a straight punch into the side of Suigetsu's face, sending him down into the dirt and skidding to a halt several feet away. Rolling his neck and shoulders, thereby eliciting a spine-chilling series of cracks, Kurai met Sasuke's cold gaze with a look that he had not used for several years: he had not needed his assassin's training or his impersonal, piercing Sharingan eyes for a very long time… Since his tenth birthday, just the mention of his name had been enough to send grown, war-hardened shinobi fleeing in fear of him. Now, Kurai felt a small fleeting sense of pride that Sasuke's own Sharingan faltered for only a moment when faced with this strange new user of his clan's inheritance: Itachi had once given him that same look, eight years previously, before they became what they had always been denied as brothers…they had become friends, for better or worse, and had fought to protect the same precious things. Kurai chuckled noncommittally as he turned to face all of the others who were present, not just Sasuke, and made a rather bold comment.

"Let's try something different, shall we Sasuke? A tournament of sorts…one of Team Eagle against one of ours: four duels, eight combatants, only four winners. We will keep setting one-on-one duels until one side lacks challengers: if all four of you are beaten, we win and vice versa. The losers will be prisoners to the opposing side and since there are thirteen of us and four of you, it seems like an interesting set of odds." As he spoke, Kurai felt his wounds trying to begin the painful and sometimes slow process of knitting themselves back together: he could already tell that this was going to be one of the slow times and that repeat offenses against his protesting body would undoubtedly give him excruciating results. He could see Sasuke's mind turning his proposal over and over and he let a slight smirk make its way onto his face. Sasuke scowled before nodding to the only female member of Eagle…a girl named Karin if Kurai recalled correctly. "Alright then: who wants to kick Karin's ass? Sakura, care for the honors?" Sakura blinked once as if coming out of a daze before setting her features into a firm mask of resolve and stepping forward to face Karin. A moment later brought the bruised and angry form of Suigetsu to stand nearby, waiting for his opponent: Sai gave his eerie fake smile as he stepped forward to take Suigetsu. Juugo did not move, but then Kurai had not expected him to: Kurai had known Juugo when he was tailing Orochimaru but had not yet joined Akatsuki. He knew that Juugo would not attack until his killing urge took over and then they would need several people to fight him. Finally, Sasuke and Naruto both stepped forward, facing each other in a duel that had long ago been decided. Kurai decided to stand back and watch for the moment: he would jump in as soon as any of them needed him, but he was more concerned with keeping a lookout for Madara than he was with the battles of the others. "Yamato, don't interfere until you have to, but keep an eye on Naruto just in case. Everyone else, hang back and keep an eye on Juugo, the one who refuses to fight: when he does jump into the fray, he'll be a force to be reckoned with. More importantly…Hinata, I would like you to keep an eye on the chakra of Naruto and the others, but you should also keep an eye out for anyone else approaching us: I should detect them long before you do, but just in case they slip past me, your Byakugan will be handy."

~Back in Konoha~

Amaya frowned as she walked into the hospital, heading purposefully towards Kakashi's room: the Copy Nin had yet to awaken and she was intent on examining him for herself. She was by no means as good a medic as Tsunade, but she was close if not on Shizune's level thanks to Tsuchino's tutoring and the skills of the Shichibi: she was still learning, but soon she would be one of Konoha's best medics if the Shichibi's skills continued to expand her own knowledge and abilities. Sighing, she ignored the nurses that tried to stop her from entering the ICU and simply walked over to Kakashi's room, where she knocked on the door before pushing it the rest of the way open. The sight that greeted her made her smile fondly at Iruka: the Academy instructor had his head on the bed, slouched over in his chair, sound asleep. Picking up the fallen papers of Iruka's students, Amaya set them on the table and lifted a blanket over Iruka's shoulders while stroking a few stray hairs from his face. She then turned her attention to Kakashi and was pleased to see one lazy eye cracked open a bit, watching her with intense curiosity.

"Welcome back to the world of the living Kakashi-niisan." Amaya whispered affectionately as she leaned delicately on the bed opposite Iruka. "Did you have a nice sleep?"

"How long…?" Kakashi began and Amaya made a light tsk-ing sound.

"You were in a coma: it's been roughly a week since Pein attacked Konoha." She felt a small stab of worry for Naruto, Sasuke, and Kurai as she spoke but she quickly shook it off. "A team of thirteen went to meet Sasuke and his platoon, as well as any Akatsuki members that might be with them. They group left last night and are probably fighting right now: they're about fifty miles outside of the farthest reaches of the village."

"Who went?" Came the barbed demand; Kakashi was not asking to be briefed, he was insisting on it.

"Yamato and Team 7, Tsuchino heading Team 8, and Hatori leading Team 10 with Kurai as the leader for all three platoons. Teams 8 and 10 are mainly for back-up and defensive purposes while Team 7 will actually engage in combat with Sasuke and his team. Kurai went strictly to find and kill Zetsu of Akatsuki, since that man is always acting as the leader's eyes and ears: he would not let Sasuke out of his sight without some form of surveillance." Amaya spoke in such a way that she startled Kakashi. :_Who is this woman and what has she done with Minato-sensei's daughter?_: He quickly canceled this train of thought as Amaya resumed her account of the mission's specifics. "They are expected to return in three days or less, depending on the length and severity of combat and resulting injuries. However, since they have not one but three medics with them, one of whom is on Shizune's level, the injuries should not be too bad by the time they return to Konoha; unless one of them is critically injured, then wounds should all be treatable by one or all three of the medics. Before you ask, Sakura is obviously present, but so are Ino and Tsuchino. Kurai knows a fair deal of medical jutsu as well, but he is going to be one of the core combatants and will mainly be concentrating on healing Sasuke, Naruto, and himself." Iruka began to stir so Amaya decided that she should probably leave it at that for the day and bid Kakashi farewell. She then walked from the Hospital over to Kurenai's to visit the older female Jounin and found that Kurenai already had visitors: Izumo and Kotetsu had brought Kurenai some groceries and were busy unpacking them in the kitchen as Kurenai led Amaya into her home.

"Really Kurenai…I only wanted to stop by and say hello. You don't have to invite me in." Amaya smiled as she apologetically waved away Kurenai's insistence that she at least have a cup of tea. After a few moments, Amaya gave in and meekly followed the older woman into her home for a cup of tea while Kotetsu snickered and Izumo gave her a sympathetic smile: both knew that Amaya probably didn't want tea and had only stopped by to check because of loyalty to Asuma and a promise to Shikamaru that she would do so. Anyone could tell you that Amaya was normally at Ichiraku's this time of day, enjoying a large bowl of ramen and drinking a large glass of water: Amaya had never been a big fan of tea, regardless of the kind. As Kurenai shooed both men out of her kitchen and Izumo sat beside her on the couch, Amaya felt an indescribable pain all over her body and an image of Kurai, badly injured and bleeding profusely, flashed through her mind as she screamed: the sound of shattering tea mugs were barely heard over her cry of anguish.

~The battlefield~

Kurai predicted their attacks and was moving between them before he had time to think: he felt like he was moving in super-slow motion. Sasuke was going to use Amaterasu and Naruto was setting up for a Rasen-shuriken: if they hit each other, they'd both die…and Kurai couldn't let them kill each other. Without any regard for his own recklessness and the imminent damage to his person, Kurai caught Sasuke's face with one hand and tossed his youngest brother as far away as he could -and none too gently at that- before he turned to face Naruto's oncoming Rasen-shuriken. Naruto saw him and panic was written as plain as day across the boy's face: it was too late to stop or change targets. The attack hit Kurai full on and he was consumed by the explosion of chakra even as he shifted the concentration of Rokubi's chakra within him from only minimal amounts to enormous amounts: he was trying absorb the impact rather than fight it. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, this seemed to work, but only to a certain degree. He managed to negate the most dangerous aspect of the attack, the needle-like wind blades of Naruto's chakra, from severing the nerves on the cellular level by feeding his own electrical chakra into the needles. This transformed them into something that was still deadly and sharp, but kept the attack from severing his nerves. Rather than attacking his nerves, the needles became larger and cut into his muscles and organs instead: it was like being hit by massive amounts of shrapnel from every conceivable angle. When the attack subsided, he was still standing in the center of the crater while swaying ever so slightly on his feet; his entire body was covered in cuts, gashes, slices over the wounds he had already had before jumping between the two teens. Blood was flowing from his side and his chest, as well as from the corners of his mouth and every other open wound he had acquired: the ground below his feet and nearby was completely soaked in the crimson liquid. Kurai tried to concentrate of healing the wounds, but his thoughts had gone hazy and he was disoriented.

_**:You cannot heal this, cublet; not with more than half of our chakra being used to keep your mate healthy. Your body is going to give out on you and you'll go into a coma until you heal completely.:**_ Rokubi's voice sounded far away and grossly distorted…Kurai gave a light gurgling chuckle past the blood in his lungs and mouth as he realized that if he couldn't heal, then he could very well die this time. He could hear shouts and general disorder around him, but he paid it no heed as he collapsed onto one knee, propping himself up on the other. Soon, he could feel someone running a hand over him, infused with healing chakra, trying to assess the extent of the damage: he assumed that it was Tsuchino, but he didn't care if it was or not. He allowed his mind to go blank, but he retained consciousness out of sheer willpower. The result was a zombie-like state: he would move and do as Tsuchino instructed, but he was not aware that he was doing anything other than coping with the pain. Indeed, the last time he had been like this was when he was five, nine days before Naruto was born and the Kyuubi attacked Konoha: he had not been responsive that day either, merely an empty shell doing as told while trying to block out the unfathomable pain he was experiencing.

"Hatori…is it just me or is Kurai taking longer to heal himself than normal?" Tsuchino whispered fearfully as she examined Kurai and healed some of his injuries as she could. Naruto was sitting on the edge of the crater, unable to move as he watched in horror while Tsuchino tended to Kurai. As for Sasuke, he was lying unconscious nearby where Hatori had laid him; Kurai appeared to have used Tsukuyomi on the boy when he had tossed him. Sakura had just connected a blow to Karin's face, rendering the other girl unconscious as well, while Sai had been forced to let Hinata take over Suigetsu; the water shinobi was now wisely sitting near to his unconscious teammates and was unable to effectively use his chakra thanks to Hinata's gentle fist. She had not targeted his internal chakra coils, but she had made it so he would not be able to use his chakra for several days unless he received medical attention. Juugo had gone down when he saw that all the others were defeated: he had been going against Chouji, Ino, and Shikamaru's assault.

"You're imagining things Tsuchino; Kurai will heal himself in no time!" Hatori said gruffly, not willing to admit that he was actually concerned about a man that he still thought of as a criminal. "Besides, why should we be helping him? All we have to go on is that Tsunade appears to trust him and that Amaya cares for him. Who's to say that he isn't spying on Konoha for Akatsuki under the guise of false friendship and loyalty?"

"Hatori, how can you say that? He was taught Hiraishin by the Yondaime Hokage! Of course he's loyal to Konoha!" Tsuchino demanded of her husband while looking positively scandalized by his suggestion. "Oh, never mind! I don't want to hear your excuses and we need to get everyone back to Konoha." She then turned her attention to Chouji and Ino. "Can the two of you support Kurai between you? I don't think he'll get very far on his own…" The two teens nodded and immediately did as asked while Sai took a firm hold of the ropes that had been used to bind Suigetsu's hands. Sakura managed to get Naruto to pull himself together and they supported Sasuke between them while Hatori slung Karin roughly over one shoulder. Juugo was surrounded on all sides by Hinata, Kiba and Akamaru, Shino, and Yamato while Tsuchino took the lead with Shikamaru in the rear. The group then moved out as one, set on covering the fifty miles to the outskirts of Konoha and then the short distance to the hospital as quickly as possible. It took them surprisingly less time than they'd thought it would; they came upon the very farthest reach of the village a little over an hour later. They moved right past the gates and ignored the ANBU that instantly appeared as a guard around them. When they reached the hospital, Tsunade was waiting for them out front: she took a single look at Kurai and rushed him inside without saying a word. The rest of the group followed suit and entered the hospital, only to be rewarded with medics converging on them and healing all of them of even the smallest of scrapes. Suigetsu was left without medical treatment, since they did not want him trying to pick fights and escape. Moments after they'd all been examined, the doors to the large room where they had all been put to wait for Tsunade were flung nearly of the hinges: there stood Amaya, out of breath and sweating, with Izumo not but two steps behind her. It appeared that she had run all the way from Kurenai's home to the hospital and had not stopped once along the way. She spotted her brother and quickly rushed over, cupping one marked cheek in her palm and forcing him to look at her.

"Naruto, what happened?" She asked kindly, titling the same blue eyes she knew so well from her memories of their father up to meet her own blue-green ones that she'd inherited from their mother. "Kurai was hurt badly wasn't he?" She asked again and he nodded glumly, unable to meet her gaze. Sighing, she pulled him into a hug and softly stroked his hair: she and Jiraiya had told her that she was his sister the morning after Kurai had brought the Toad Sannin back. As if on cue, Jiraiya walked into the room from the direction of the Hokage tower and sighed as he saw Naruto silently crying into Amaya's shoulder. She knew he was crying and did not care; she just kept lovingly stroking his blond hair and murmuring soft nothings to calm him the way their mother had always calmed her. She knew that the others who were watching all had their suspicions as to who she was, but she also knew that they were probably well off-base.

"Amaya, do you really think you should be here?" Izumo asked tentatively before blinking in shock: Amaya gave him a soft smile and in that moment, she looked for all the world like Kushina, but it was gone in a flash and she was herself again.

"Where else do I have to go? My whole family is here, Izumo, so this is where I must be. Go back to Kotetsu and Kurenai; I think I might have worried them. Kotetsu is liable to over-react and Kurenai doesn't need that; besides, you always were the more sensible of the two of you." Amaya laughed as she gently told the concerned elite Ch nin to go home and stop worrying. After a moment, Izumo did as she'd said and left; as soon as he was gone, Amaya made Naruto take a seat and she leaned over the still unconscious Sasuke, whose head was in Sakura's lap where he'd been stretched out on the floor. She allowed her chakra to reach out and probe at Sasuke's: Kurai had told her that he'd absorbed Orochimaru, but she couldn't feel the snake anywhere on him. So, she assumed that someone must have forced Orochimaru out of his body: the only way to confirm this for certain was to check his Heaven curse seal. She gently and deftly pulled his shirt back to check the mark and she was not surprised to find that it had vanished. Her brow furrowed as she heard him say something, barely audible and almost completely unintelligible.

"Killed him…Itachi…avenged them…he removed…Itachi…" The only parts of it that made any sense to Amaya were where Sasuke said 'killed him', 'avenged them', and Itachi's name: the rest was like a cryptic code that would be impossible to decipher without first gaining the key. Sighing, Amaya decided that he must have killed Itachi and that, since Orochimaru had been removed from him, the reference to removing something must mean that Itachi had removed Orochimaru personally before he died. She would have much to discuss with Kurai, but right now she was worried about what he'd done to Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun…can you hear me at all?" Amaya asked as she brushed some of his hair out of his face: Karin was now awake, but she and the other members of Sasuke's team were wisely remaining submissive. Amaya didn't want to be forced to do so, but she could easily incapacitate all of them if she needed to; she assumed that they'd either sensed this or were just playing it safe due to the fact that they were outnumbered three to one. Sasuke made a slightly pained sound and tried to roll away from her touch, which only confirmed her guess that Kurai had not used a true Tsukuyomi on him. Sakura had been babbling while she was examining his curse seal that he acted like he had when Itachi had used Tsukuyomi on him: now, Amaya was certain that it was not a true Tsukuyomi, merely a very good imitation that Kurai had probably invented specifically to avoid damaging his eyes. "Relax Sakura-chan: this is not Tsukuyomi, merely a very good imitation. Kurai wouldn't use Tsukuyomi because Sasuke-kun can counter it _and_ because it damages the user's vision the more you use it. He also avoids using Amaterasu or Susano'o unless absolutely necessary, just like Itachi; however, Itachi made it a habit to use Tsukuyomi, though he limited the number of daily uses. No, this looks more like Kurai's Dance of the Devil than it does the Tsukuyomi which means that Sasuke-kun should wake up in about ten minutes. He'll be either be pissed or very disoriented, depending on what Kurai forced him to listen to and watch while in the genjutsu." She gave a wry chuckle as she realized that Kurai may have forced him to see the true version of the Uchiha Massacre; may have forced him to see that Itachi had truly only killed Shisui, Fugaku, and Mikoto while Kurai had killed everyone else. She knew that whatever Madara had told him, it was not the truth. Naturally, some of it would have been the truth or a slightly altered version of the truth, but the story as a whole would never be truth as long as it was issuing from Madara's mouth. Perhaps Sasuke would know of her relationship to Itachi, courtesy of Kurai…she hoped not, for Kurai's sake because if he did, then Kurai was in for a royal ass-kicking as soon as he recovered. Closing her eyes against the throb behind them, Amaya rose to her feet and decided that something had to be done about Team Eagle.

"Jiraiya, you are aware that Tsunade has made you, Kurai and myself her advisors, correct?" Jiraiya nodded and a small smile was creeping over his face: he had an idea of what she was up to, and he liked it. "Very well then; by the authority given to me by the Godaime, I am sending all of our own ninja home to rest unless they are required to be present. As for Team Eagle…well, let's just say the three of you aren't going anywhere." She gave them a small, emotionless smile as she formed a short series of hand signs at impossible speeds. "Diamond Immobilization!" Her dark red clay suddenly wrapped around their wrists, necks, ankles, and waists before hardening into blood red diamond manacles bound together by chains made of the same red diamond: the red diamond was filled with Amaya's chakra and was therefore impossible to break unless you knew the weakness of the jutsu…and only two people had ever figured it out, one of whom was dead and the other might be dying. "Struggle all you like," Amaya said as she returned her attention to the now stirring Sasuke. "You'll never figure out how to get those off and the more you try, the deeper into your skin they'll bite; so, be my guest and kill yourselves by cutting open all your major blood vessels. Really, I won't care because I won't be the one who has to clean up the mess." As she spoke, Teams 8 and 10 left, leaving only Team 7 and Hatori, Tsuchino, and Jiraiya in the room with Amaya and Sasuke. The young Uchiha groaned as he pushed himself into a sitting position, not seeming to realize that it was Sakura whose lap he'd been using as a pillow as he passed a hand over his eyes. "Saw some very interesting things, did you?" Amaya asked casually as she held out a hand for him to take: she was certain that he remembered her from all the times she'd followed Itachi home.

"Where…what…?" Sasuke asked groggily, obviously very unsettled and confused. Reflexively, he took Amaya's proffered hand and she helped him to gain his balance and footing before letting go. It was at that precise moment when she let go that everything finally seemed to click in the young Uchiha's mind: he met her eyes and his jaw dropped open ever so slightly as his gaze did a rapid sweep of his surroundings. "Konoha Hospital…?" He snapped his jaw shut and pressed his kips into a firm line of displeasure as he glared at Amaya. "Why was I brought here? I know better than to attack you, Amaya-onésan; you'd have me trapped in one of your diamond prisons before I could touch you. I heard you were made an ANBU…tell me, did anyone tell you about Itachi?" He saw her flinch slightly and decided that whether she knew or not, he was going to tell her. "I killed him with my own two hands a month ago; I have avenged my clan, but now I will avenge my brother." He was startled as he saw the tears slide down her cheeks even as she burst into a fit of laughter.

"You will avenge Itachi…" She laughed even harder as more tears slid down her face; she had guessed that he was dead, but she was surprised by how well she was able to control her grief. She supposed that her body knew what her heart could not accept: the time for true grief would come later, when there were no witnesses, but right now she needed to give Sasuke a long-overdue wake-up call. "And yet you are the one who killed him! So, pray tell me how you propose to avenge your brother when his killer is the one who wishes to do the avenging; I am so dying to know your reasoning, Sasuke-kun."

"He was ordered to kill the clan; he had no choice and they made his life hell for it! I plan to kill the elders who ordered my clan's murder!" Sasuke said coldly while continuing to give her an impassive glare despite his now activated three-tomoe Sharingan. "I will make Konoha suffer as it has made my family suffer and then I will revive my clan; nothing else is of importance to me."

"I see…" Amaya said with a sad shake of her fire-gold head. "So Madara got to you even with the precautions that your brothers took for you." She sighed as she took a seat, suddenly feeling very dizzy and nauseous, but mostly just plain tired. "Itachi killed the clan because they were in fact planning a coup d'état to overthrow the council and assume control of Konoha. He meant it when he said he had lost all hope for the clan, but he did not include you in that category: he never lost hope for you. I should know that better than anyone, since I kept in regular contact with him until he broke ties with me two months ago to prepare for his fight with you…and his subsequent death. You forget, Sasuke-kun, that Itachi and I were best friends before he killed the clan; such ties are not so easily broken as to be severed by something that I never believed to begin with. Besides, I had Kurai to tell me the part that he played in the clan's annihilation; I'm certain that Madara omitted those crucial details."

"Stop trying to protect them!" Sasuke snapped angrily as he took one threatening step towards Amaya; she gave him a look as if to say 'Just try it and I'll make your whole body hurt for three months.' "And who the hell is this Kurai bastard? No such person ever existed in the Uchiha clan!"

"No, but Takeshi Uchiha did; perhaps you saw his dossier when you read the documents in the Uchiha shrine. If you didn't, then allow me to elaborate!" Amaya caught Sasuke's face in her hand, pressing firmly to keep him from avoiding her gaze. "Takeshi Uchiha was born on June ninth twenty-one years ago, precisely four minutes and thirteen seconds before Itachi was: Takeshi Uchiha was Itachi's elder twin brother and your eldest brother. However, he was seen as a potentially deadly threat to the village by Danzo and the two advisors, so they convinced the rest of the council to overpower the Third and later the Fourth to have the child disposed of before he was even a day old. The Third managed to make a compromise with the council to have the boy locked in a room in the Hokage tower with five ANBU to guard him and care for him at all times until he was six months old. At that age, if he had not presented himself as a threat, he would be given to Orochimaru to raise and train as a shinobi: in the end, he was given to Orochimaru and became that freak's favorite plaything for nearly all of the first two years of his life. On his second birthday, he had made such impossible progress that he had to be hidden from the rest of the village; people were asking too many questions about a two-year-old genin. So, he was given to Danzo and put into Root. He once told me and Itachi these words precisely: 'In Root…you have no name, no feelings, no past, and no future; all that exists is the mission. To forfeit the mission is to forfeit your life, for failure is not forgiven when you are the best at what you do; I am the best and being what I am, the line made up of those after my head is very, very long. The result is that I stopped caring about the clan's acceptance and intentions years ago; they are of no importance to me. I care only for my brothers and for those who I have sworn to protect with my life, for I do not lie nor break my word. My life is nothing without my mission to protect those who are precious to me and mine.' Itachi was always the same way: his brothers weighed more than the village, but the village was still one of his top priorities. Itachi did not kill the clan, Sasuke-kun…he only killed Shisui and your parents, so that you would see him and become stronger so that you could one day kill him. You had never even heard of Kurai, so it would have been useless for you to wish to kill him: you would not have gained Mangekyou from killing someone you had never been close to."

"Are you saying that I have another brother out there somewhere? Because I'm finding that very hard to believe Amaya-onésan; you have no proof. Although this Takeshi is real, I know because like you said, I read the files on him in the shrine, it says he died during the Kyuubi attack." Sasuke said quietly.

"Indeed." Amaya said noncommittally, raising one eyebrow in mock interest. "Well, Danzo certainly covered his tracks well…that just means that the clan was told he died during the Kyuubi attack, not that he was really killed. In fact, I think that was shortly after you were born…he'd sworn to protect you and Itachi no matter what on the day you were born; he told me so himself not but three days ago. Of course, he goes by an alias now, one that Danzo gave him the day after the Kyuubi attack when he was put in charge of caring for Naruto until his third birthday. Now, his name is Kurai Rokue and he is listed as an S-rank criminal and a missing nin in nearly every country; however, he never lost his status as a Jounin of Konoha and he was in regular contact with Jiraiya, since he'd been assigned to monitor Orochimaru on his ninth birthday. He was recruited into Akatsuki when Orochimaru joined two years later: by then he had earned the nickname of 'Black Death' and was well-known for his affinity for lightning attacks. In case you haven't put it together yet, the man that jumped in to save you and Naruto from killing each other is your brother. I won't say anything more, since he'll probably want to talk to you himself. However, he did have Danzo and the elders locked up and made to tell you anything you wish to know; then he plans to either kill them himself or let you have them…he figures that Amaterasu would be a fitting death for them." It was at this point that Tsunade emerged from the emergency ICU and Amaya ignored anything that Sasuke or the others had to say as she rose and quickly went to Tsunade's side, Jiraiya not but a step behind her. "Tsunade-bachan…?" Her silent question was fragile and full of fear.

"His body has stopped healing itself; he has almost no chakra, though he is still producing vast quantities to transfer to that seal he put on you. In other words, he's letting himself suffer in order to make sure that you stay healthy and don't lose that baby." Tsunade agitatedly wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, leaving a small smear of what could be either blood or disinfectant, since both liquids were of similar coloring. "I've given him painkillers and medications, but I can't do much else aside from stitching him up: Rokubi's chakra, what little of it he's maintaining in his body anyway, keeps electrifying anyone who tries to heal him." Amaya nodded slowly, understanding the situation but not wanting to accept it.

"When can I see him?" She asked softly, still ignoring everyone else in the room.

"You can go in anytime, but he isn't responsive…" Tsunade met Jiraiya's eyes and both of them understood each other perfectly. "He's lapsed into a coma, Amaya…and we have no way of telling when he'll wake up."

"You forgot to say 'if', Tsunade-bachan…" Amaya smiled sadly at the much older woman and decided that now would be a good time to demand that Danzo and the advisors tell Sasuke the whole truth. "Well, I think that we should deal with Danzo and the advisors now, since Sasuke is awake: what do you think Tsunade-bachan?" Tsunade nodded and Hatori was sent to fetch them from their places in Konoha's prison. And so it was that when the three were brought into the room, they told Sasuke everything that they knew about Itachi and Kurai, starting at the beginning and working through time right up to the present with Jiraiya giving details about Kurai's time with Akatsuki, when he had severed his connection to Danzo and the advisors, after the Third's death. Amaya remained deathly silent, not saying anything about her relationship with Itachi or the one she was now forming with Kurai. When all was said and done, Sasuke looked like he had just had everything ripped from him only to be replaced with an insane new reality. She felt for him, having been raised with no memory of her real family and identity, from the time she was three to believe that she was someone she wasn't; then, when she regained her memories, she had felt like her whole world was crumbling in around her while she was just trying to get a solid foothold. She knew what it felt like to have lived and believed a lie so completely that when the truth is made clear, you feel like nothing can ever be trusted again: Itachi had helped her to see past that, and she wanted to help Sasuke. However, there were a few other truths yet to be laid bare; truths about Naruto and herself that Team 7 deserved to know. Disregarding the fact that Tsunade would probably disapprove of her methods, Amaya spoke in a commanding and cruel voice to the two Advisors. "Now, Koharu-baba and Homura-jijii; would the two of you be so kind as to give the real name of the Fourth?"

"Preposterous! You cannot seriously intend for us to reveal that information?" Homura snapped at her and her eyes narrowed dangerously at him.

"You will tell me what I want to know; by the blood I bear, it is my right to demand that his name be spoken!" Amaya hissed viciously while taking one dangerous step towards the old man only to have Jiraiya put a staying hand on her arm. The look that he and Tsunade cast them made the advisors realize that this was for real: if they didn't talk, someone else would and they'd be killed quicker.

"The Yondaime Hokage was born as Minato Namikaze, which is where Amaya-hime gets her last name!" Koharu said angrily while glaring at the young fiery-gold haired woman. "Naruto Uzumaki was given his mother's surname since his uncle chose to use his wife's family name of Moritaka and his mother took the Namikaze name, but she retained the use of her family name!" "Amaya glared right back at the two old fools and silently commanded the name of her mother as well. "Minato Namikaze married Kushina Uzumaki of the former Whirlpool Country and shortly afterwards they had a daughter, whom they named Amaya Namikaze. Three years later, Kushina had their firstborn son and they named him Naruto Uzumaki. Mere hours after Naruto's birth, the Kyuubi attacked and Namikaze-san died sealing the demon into his newborn son: Kushina died as well from blood loss and wounds sustained in the attack. Three days after the funeral for the Fourth and his wife, Amaya-hime was diagnosed with disassociate amnesia due to the trauma of watching both of her parents die. So, she was placed under the care of Kushina's sister-in-law, Sumomo Moritaka, and her young son Hatori: Amaya was raised as Sumomo's own daughter and Naruto was given to the Rokubi boy, Kurai, to be observed for his first three years. Neither Naruto nor Amaya-hime were told who their parents were and they were never informed that they were siblings. Laws were passed against speaking of Amaya and Naruto heritage as well as the fact that Naruto was the vessel for Kyuubi. Amaya-hime remembered the three years of memory she'd lost on her own, we don't know when!" Koharu was looking positively harassed, but nobody really cared: Naruto had just been told that he was the Fourth's son, but so had his friends, Hatori, Tsuchino, and Team Eagle. The most concerning part now was Naruto's reaction: he said northing, merely turned and left. When Sakura made to follow after him, Tsuchino gently touched her shoulder and nodded towards Amaya, who spoke so softly that is was hard to hear her.

"Leave him be Sakura…he needs time to himself right now." Amaya watched her brother go and felt part of her heart try to rip itself out and go after him. She could hear Tsunade giving out orders and saying all sorts of things that were probably important, but she tuned it out. With a heavy heart, she turned away from the others and followed the pull of Kurai's chakra within her body until she found herself standing at his bedside: he was hooked up to several machines and all of them had IVs, wires, and other oddities running from them into Kurai. She recognized a few of the medicines listed in the IV drip bag, such as morphine to numb the pain. She also saw a large bottle of iodine sitting on the bedside table, doubtlessly being used to prevent infections and cleanse out his wounds. There was another monitor that was attached to a ventilator: this meant that Kurai was unable to breath on his own and she remembered someone saying something about Zetsu stabbing him in the lung…that had probably been Tsuchino who'd told her that. She felt dizzy again and swayed slightly, realizing that the seal that connected her to Kurai and transferred a lot of his chakra into her body was probably reacting to his injuries: since Kurai was critically injured, the seal was pulling back on the amount of chakra it gave her, giving her back a few of the symptoms that normally came with pregnancy. She had not missed them, but the symptoms weren't exactly unwelcome if it meant Kurai would live. She just didn't want the seal to drain so much that it would make her as ill as she had been in the beginning, but then that could be reasonably well controlled with medication. Having a sudden idea, she decided to tweak with Kurai seal to help him heal better and faster even if it made her sick again: as long as she wasn't puking all over, she could deal with the bed-rest and other limitations. Happy to find that she still had some of the pills Tsunade had given her for emergency nausea, Amaya took the required amount and then she carefully began the process of altering the seal Kurai had set on her. Once she was satisfied with the results, which began to take effect immediately, Amaya stopped messing with the seal and curled up in the large and comfortable chair by Kurai's bed. She would deal with Tsunade being pissy after a long nap…


	10. Sasuke, Meet Kurai

~Here is chapter ten, and chapter eleven is already going on five pages(according to Word lol) long as I'm typing this lol. So, read it, like it, hate it, or love it: review it!~

Author's Note: 1)When I refer to the power of my version of the Shichibi, I say that Shichibi has the power to control 'earth' but when one considers that the periodic table is a list of all known elements, many of which are found not only in the soil that we all call earth/dirt/ground, but in everything else as well, I took a scientific liberty and gave Amaya the ability to manipulate the molecules and atoms that make up soil and everything else, not just earth specifically. This means that she can actually generate a human body from the minerals and elements in the surrounding soil, but that she doesn't usually feel the need to do so. However, she lacks the ability to give life to these perfect bodies, human or otherwise, that she can create; but if something is already alive, then she can use her control of matter(periodic table people) to bend, gain the cooperation of, or force anything to her will. 2)Kurai was fused with Rokubi, who in my story is a black, six-tailed wolf who control lightning/electricity. This means Kurai is his own private electrical plant and generates lots of heat and power, as well as static and other such unpleasant(or pleasant depending on the person) side effects. Kurai is often struck by lightning, and though he is not harmed by this, he tends to avoid people and populated areas during storms as a precautionary measure. Unfortunately, being hospitalized, paralyzed, captured/imprisoned, or comatose negates his ability to do so.

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Promises to Keep, Chapter Ten: Sasuke, Meet Kurai

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Sasuke had slowly come around and had accepted the offer Tsunade gave him: he would have to earn back his Konoha hitae-ate and deal with the enemies he'd made outside of Konoha on his own. As for Team Eagle, they were told that if they wished to remain with Sasuke, they would first have to prove themselves to Konoha and then earn their citizenship. Then they would have to take the proper exams to determine their ranks in Konoha. Suigetsu agreed and said that his reasons were simple: since Kurai had killed Kisame, he now wanted to fight Kurai. Karin refused to give an answer without having at least a month to consider her options: join Konoha or be treated as a missing nin and await trial, possibly death. Juugo said that he would be happy to live in such a peaceful place, stocked as it was with people who could, and would, control his killing urges. As for Naruto, he had locked himself in his apartment for nearly three weeks, refusing to see even Iruka or Kakashi when the Jounin got out of the hospital. Meanwhile, Amaya had started to get sick again as soon as she'd tampered with Kurai's seal and, though she'd lost a bit of weight and had to be confined to partial bed-rest, she was still wandering around the village. So, when she was on her way over to drag Naruto out of his apartment, she was only slightly surprised to find that Sasuke and Karin were there with Sakura and Sai coming up the stairs behind her. Frowning, she walked right past Sasuke, who had only just noticed the now apparent swell of her stomach: though she was only just barely five months, her slim figure allowed for only one way for the baby to grow, and that was out. Amaya knocked on the door four times before giving a frustrated growl and kicking the door in. Spinning on one foot, she brought the other back to rest on the ground from the 90 degree angle of the kick and she was aware that the others were openly staring at her.

"Naruto Uzumaki, you answer me this instant! I want you to get your ass out of bed, get dressed, and come with me! It's your birthday and we are damn well going to celebrate! Don't make me embarrass you by dragging you out of your apartment in only your boxers because I will do it Naruto!" Amaya fearlessly ventured into Naruto's slightly dangerous and haphazard apartment: you never knew what you might find in there. She found Naruto in the shower and simply reached in and turned off the warm water; Naruto gave a loud protest and cursed profusely as the pleasant water temperature was replaced with liquid ice. Yanking back the shower curtain while still cussing, Naruto stopped dead when he saw not only his sister, but Sakura, Sasuke, and Sai staring at him in all of his naked glory: Karin had waited outside the apartment. Cussing even more, he pulled the curtain back into place and shouted angrily through it.

"Onéchan, what the hell are they doing in my bathroom while I'm in the shower?!"

"You wouldn't answer the door and you've holed up in here for nearly three weeks; you expect me to stop your friends and teammates from coming in? Besides, Sasuke and Sai have both seen everything already, being guys and all. Sakura saw me and Kurai going at it in Hokage tower, so I highly doubt this will faze her all that much. Even if it does, she's inevitably going to see naked men if she ever intends to have sex or get married and have kids. Now come on, Naruto; I'm putting your clothes on the shelf and I want you to hurry or we'll be late." Amaya said casually as she placed Naruto's clothes on the shelf near the sink and left the bathroom with the others, closing the door behind her. Back out in the main room of Naruto's apartment, which consisted of his kitchen and living room in one, Amaya scowled as she noticed a pair of boxers and other clothing thrown in careless piles across the bed, as well as around it. Grumbling about beating some manners and a sense of personal hygiene into her brother, Amaya went about collecting all of his laundry and stuffing it into a bag that she found on the floor: when Sakura asked what she was doing, Amaya stated simply that she was going to wash Naruto's laundry and possibly get him a new wardrobe. "Honestly, not even Mom wore the same colors all year round! And this looks like it has never been washed!" Amaya sounded positively scandalized as she picked up something that looked like it might have once been a shirt of some kind, but it was filthy, as well as torn, and it had more than a little bit of a pungent odor to it. Sakura looked ill as she stared at the cloth that Amaya threw into the bag, despite a strong urge to just toss it, while Sasuke and Sai were both snickering. Neither of them had to deal with females of any kind going through their rooms and finding embarrassing items; this was a fact that both were extremely grateful for even as they felt marginally sorry for Naruto, since Amaya seemed to act more like a mother to him than a sister. It was at this point that Sasuke had a thought and decided to voice the question that his mind proposed to Sakura.

"Sakura, is Naruto's sister married?" He asked with his brows furrowing ever so slightly as he watched the roughly five-months-pregnant kunoichi move with a certain grace as she straightened up Naruto's apartment.

"Not that I'm aware of; why do you ask, Sasuke?" Sakura tilted her head in curiosity at her friend and teammate, caught off-guard by his sudden interest.

"I assumed that she was, since she's wearing a set of rings on a chain around her neck and is pregnant; I do believe that a woman's fingers tend to swell during pregnancy and that most women remove their rings for this reason, correct?" Sakura blinked, for she both impressed and duly surprised by Sasuke's apparent knowledge: when had he bothered to gain that bit of information, anyways?

"Well yeah, but…then shouldn't Kurai-san have a ring, too?" This question was not directed towards Sasuke, but rather to Sakura herself as she thought the idea over in her head: perhaps Amaya was married, but had simply chosen not to tell anyone that she'd settled down with that special someone. It made logical sense, since Kurai was technically a rogue ninja and an S-rank criminal outside of Konoha; as well as being listed as 'Killed in Action', those were the kinds of things that you usually took into account whenever you married someone and wanted to keep it hidden.

"Why would my…brother…have a ring if Naruto's sister does?" It was obvious that Sasuke, though he'd accepted the fact that Kurai was indeed his and Itachi's older brother, was still not used to having another person to call family; it was also easy to see that he had not adjusted to Amaya-hime at ALL, not considering that she was Naruto's sister and that, ever since she'd shown up, things had begun to happen with unfailing eeriness. Naruto's true heritage as the son of the Fourth and a powerful kunoichi from the former Whirlpool country had been a real bombshell to his friends and the other villagers who had been blissfully ignorant of the truth, but add on the reappearance of Kurai, formerly Takeshi Uchiha, and it was definitely on the A-bomb level. Then Sasuke and his Team Eagle had returned to Konoha while accepting the sentences and probations set on them by Tsunade and the new Council of Konoha. Now Amaya-hime's pregnancy was showing, and making many of the shinobi in the village flee from her on principle: she carried the alias of 'Konoha's Golden Flashfire' not only for her skills in battle, but for her capricious and often violent streaks when angered or annoyed. It was common knowledge to anyone that a pregnant woman was easily irritated due to hormones, and that Amaya-hime was already someone with a great deal of patience, but a lethally sadistic side when finally pushed too far. She was also not someone to stand for others pushing around those who could not defend themselves or who were treated unjustly. So, Sakura paused while carefully considering her answer to Sasuke's reasoning and his question.

"Um…you heard what Amaya-hime said just a second ago in Naruto's bathroom, right? About her and Kurai…" Blushing profusely and looking just a bit drunk as her eyes unfocused and glazed over slightly, Sakura trailed off without realizing it.

"Going at it in the Hokage tower?" Sasuke finished Sakura's sentence when she blushed and seemed to come back to reality at his words; she'd obviously been recalling something that he wasn't sure he wanted to know about. "Yes, but I prefer to ask rather than draw my own conclusions when it includes such sensitive topics."

"That's rather sweet of you, Sasuke-kun." Amaya said as she dropped a rather large, and overly full, bag of Naruto's clothes -dirty or otherwise- by the door to said blonde's apartment just as Naruto was coming out of the bathroom, fully clothed and still muttering profanities under his breath. "But to answer your question, no, I am not married; and no, Kurai isn't either. Though, sometimes I think he entertains the idea of asking me; Itachi once did, before everything started to really fall apart. He said that if he somehow didn't die and was allowed to come back to Konoha, he wanted to marry me. I laughed at him then, but now I know why he asked me; he was testing me to see if I would say yes, or if I would hesitate. I hesitated and then I laughed at him and called him foolish because he had told me the whole truth by this time, and of his entire plan to die by yours hands. So, I knew he wouldn't be coming back to Konoha…not to live peacefully and die of old age, anyway." Amaya shrugged nonchalantly as Naruto made several loud, and indignant, exclamations over Amaya's cleaning of his apartment. "Naruto, its not a bad thing to clean every once in a while; besides, if you don't then one of these days something is going to spawn from the dirt and bacteria, mutate, and then kill you in your sleep…or maybe it'll take over your body!" Amaya's tone was playful sarcastic, but Sakura noticed the sudden paleness of the older woman and the dangerous dip in her chakra level before it was forcibly supplemented by the rich and powerful black chakra of Kurai: Kurai's chakra was still regulating and maintaining Amaya's health, even as it desperately tried to heal his own body.

"Amaya-hime, are you feeling all right?" Sakura asked with nothing but the utmost concern for her would-be brother's older sister. Amaya shook her head and waved one hand dismissively before she wrapped one arm around Naruto's shoulders and smiled as she announced that they were going to the best restaurant in town, where all of Naruto's friends were meeting them, and that she was footing the bill. Naruto gave a loud whoop of elation before stopping and frowning at Amaya: like Sakura, he too had noticed that she was pale, but what really worried him was the way she was leaning on his shoulders. It seemed almost as if all of her strength had suddenly drained from her, leaving her weak and unsteady while forcing her to use Naruto as support. Naruto, however, wisely said nothing because he knew that Amaya would not admit anything and that she would then become annoyed and fly into a fine rage if anyone -namely Sakura, Tsuchino, or Tsunade-bachan- tried to examine her. He exchanged a knowing look with Sakura, since Sasuke was the only one in the room who had not seen her when she first arrived in Konoha with Kurai, and was therefore the only one who did not know how truly sick she was. "Alright Amaya-hime, but don't forget that that means paying for Chouji of the Akimichi clan!" Sakura said with affectionate teasing lacing her tone, to which Amaya smiled with equal fondness…and an undeniable show of fatigue and discomfort.

"As I was saying Sasuke-kun, I'm not married, but it isn't for a lack of people asking me." Amaya said thoughtfully as they left the apartment, Karin falling into step behind the whole of the old and new Team 7 with the addition of Amaya. "Its more for a lack of options and availability for a real prospect of a married life; Itachi wanted children, he told me so, but it was impractical to consider marrying a woman and then bringing children into the world when he had long since decided how and when he was going to die. Since I loved no one but Itachi, I would not marry anyone else regardless of who was asking, or how many times they begged me to become their wife." Amaya gave a hollow chuckle, lost in the inner ironies of her mind and the knowledge contained therein. "Now, I believe that should Kurai ever ask, I would gladly accept; after all, initially that only reason I ever took any interest in Itachi was because of fond memories I had of Kurai. They never did realize or accept how very alike they were, and still are. Its actually quite amusing that despite the outward differences and the obviously different upbringings, the two of them couldn't get rid of the fact that they're twins, and as such, they were bound to share at least two things: their family, and the same birthday." Amaya gave a derisive snort as she leaned a bit more on Naruto and cast a wayward glance in the direction which they all knew the hospital lay. Naruto's apartment was not far from the restaurant, and they were almost there, but Amaya was already so very tired after walking only a short distance; she had obviously not accounted for the fact that without the full benefits of Kurai's seal, she was once again relying mainly on herself and the stores of chakra that she had gained from assimilating with Shichibi. The female fox was aware of her vessels' condition, but so far had neither aided nor interfered in the development of the little unborn Uchiha; this was neither a comfort nor a concern to Amaya, but rather, it was simply proof that the Shichibi remained detached and disinterested in her vessel's life outside of preserving her own hide. Shichibi was mostly dormant within her vessel, never bothering to speak to Amaya or do much to exert any amount of control over the human female who housed her; this was an ideal arrangement for Amaya, and since the bijuu never gave any evidence to the contrary, Amaya could only assume that the seven-tailed vixen did not care about anything and was merely content to sleep off her imprisonment within her host. It was at this juncture of Amaya's thoughts that they reached the restaurant and Naruto did his best to hide his concern for her as he helped his sister into a comfortable, and relatively safe, seat. It wasn't long before the rest of the party guests showed up and time quickly passed; after a while, Amaya asked Sakura to escort her to the hospital, since she knew the young rosette had duty at the hospital that evening.

~Late November~

Amaya rolled over restlessly and groaned as she felt her body twinge with soreness that was not her own; by trifling with the seal Kurai had placed on her, she had not only made it so that he kept more of his chakra for healing himself, but she felt a small portion of his pain and discomfort for her troubles as well. The older of the two remaining Uchiha siblings was still comatose, and though no longer in the ICU, he was still hospitalized as a result. Kurai had regained consciousness for a few brief periods, but he was generally so heavily sedated that he was not lucid; it hurt Amaya in many ways to watch the proud and powerful man, with whom she was begrudgingly admitting to herself that she **was** indeed in love with, reduced to a mere ghost of himself by his injuries. In several ways, she felt almost as if she was watching what Itachi's illness would have been like had he chosen to die naturally rather than at Sasuke's hand; not liking the way her thoughts were heading, she forced her mind to go blank and will sleep to claim her, but it didn't work. Glaring at the illuminated numbers of her alarm clock, she gave in inward hiss of irritation as she registered the time; it was only just now turning over to 2:15 a.m., and here she was wide awake while trying desperately to fight the urge to get up and be violently ill before going to Kurai's bedside. Since Tsunade would only scold her and have ANBU bring her right back, she settled for reaching into the drawer of her nightstand and withdrawing her prescribed medications before popping the appropriate dosages into her mouth and swallowing as quickly as possible. The pills were quickly followed by a large gulp of water from the bottle resting on the very same nightstand; unfortunately, the water did nothing to disguise the ill flavor of the pills and Amaya forced herself not to gag at the awful taste left in her mouth by the very things keeping her from vomiting constantly. Giving a defeated sigh, she rolled her over onto her other side, facing away from the window and the pounding rain that fell just outside the glass and thick curtains.

Given her now six-months-pregnant belly, this was indeed a considerable feat to achieve on her own, and she was proud to say she'd mastered it adequately enough. Still, she would be glad when Kurai was finally released from the hospital, for then she would at least have someone to send to get breakfast instead of having to leave the warmth of her bed herself. Naruto had gallantly offered to move in with her, as had Sasuke, much to her surprise, but she had kindly refused both teenagers. Annoyed at her inability to fall back to sleep, Amaya decided to disobey Tsunade's orders for bed rest, since she was slowly going insane from the inactivity, and she got up to take a quick sponge bath before she would make herself a very early morning snack. Perhaps she would then find something to watch on TV or read a book; indeed, she was even thinking of taking it upon herself to start working on the nursery despite sworn promises from Naruto and the other teens that they would take care of it, as well as strict orders from Tsunade forbidding her from doing anything more than getting up to change locations from her bed to a chair or the couch, or getting up to tend to her most basic needs when by herself. The female Hokage had even gone so far as to threaten that if Amaya did not take proper care of herself, then she would be hospitalized for observation and bed rest, but worse than that was the very real threat of Tsunade actually chaining her to the bed to ensure that she stayed in it. Truly, they only did these things to her because they cared, but it was getting rather vexing to constantly be hounded about taking proper care of herself and the precious little one she carried. Sighing, Amaya once again yanked her mind away from stressful subjects and instead focused on preparing her favorite snack as of late: plain white rice sprinkled with sugar and a fresh tomato on the side. She knew that Kurai would laugh uproariously at her if he saw her eating both of those items in one sitting, since she rarely ever ate them individually to begin with. The rice with sugar was something she'd picked up from her father and Kurai himself, but the tomatoes were a habit purely born of Sasuke's love for the specific food item. Plus, it was one that had only begun a few weeks ago when she'd suddenly wanted to eat a whole basket of fresh tomatoes, when she normally preferred the aforementioned item in sandwiches or otherwise prepared, cooked, and/or served. When she had finished eating, she absently put the dishes into the sink and idly wandered into the room that she'd reserved as the nursery: she had pulled a few strings with Tsunade and had bought the place where her father had grown up, then married and raised his own family, as well as a small portion of the nearby forest.

The room she'd chosen as the nursery was indeed her own old bedroom, and it was right next to the master bedroom where her parents had once taken refuge from everything to do whatever struck their fancy behind closed doors: personally, she'd decided not to bother thinking about the things they had or hadn't done in the bedroom that she now slept in, but simply took comfort in knowing that her parents had once slept there while often letting their young daughter curl up between them. She had so many memories of this place that, for the longest time, she had not allowed herself to recall. Now that she remembered everything, she'd decided that she would handle the renovations by herself and had used the same jutsu that she had rebuilt a fair portion of Konoha with to repair the long forgotten home of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki. Naruto and the others of Team 7 had gaped at her when they'd first seen what she'd done with the place in only a few hours: it had gone from a condemned ruin to a masterpiece of architecture, complete with a large wall running around the entirety of the land and forest Amaya had purchased from the village and the Fire Country's daimyo. Giving a soft melancholy sigh, Amaya began to plan out the nursery before she started using her abilities to mold a bassinet from a simple block of wood she'd had Kakashi bring up a few days earlier: the wood was soft and supple, with life still in it, so she was pleased when it gladly submitted to her tweaking with murmurs of pleasure for holding something as precious as a newborn. She chuckled to herself: and people said that plants were inanimate, unintelligent things! When the bassinet had been finished, she moved onto a larger project and began to use other materials that she had stockpiled to form other pieces of furniture that would be strong, durable, and yet not harmful to an exploring infant/toddler.

After a short while, however, she began to feel the pull of the seal warning her that she was drastically stretching her own boundaries and was now drawing on Kurai's reserves; sighing, she accepted defeat and snuggled into the daybed she'd generated to rest on the right of the door, beside the bassinet, and facing the window on the opposite wall. She felt her heartbeat quicken unreasonably a low rumble of thunder pierced the steady rhythm of the rain that was heavily pounding down on Konoha: lightning always came before thunder, but this was still far away…perhaps there would be no lightning strikes close to the village? She shook her head at her odd thinking, unsure why the sudden knowledge that lightning might strike in the village worried her so; she had never feared storms, but rather she loved them and would often sit on the roof during one just to watch the lightning dance across the sky and to feel the rain on her skin. Tonight, this was not the case: she was pregnant and something about the prospect of lightning was setting her very skin afire with dread and something that was almost like…static. Unable to pinpoint the cause, she simply brushed the thoughts away and allowed the fatigue that had finally started to sink in pull her towards sleep, tiredly registering that her wristwatch was now reading '04:37:26' and that someone, more recently Sasuke and Naruto, would be knocking on the door at eight to check on her. She gave an inelegant snort as her tired brain suggested that perhaps her baby brother shared more with Sasuke than brotherly affection, but she decided that she'd cross that bridge when she came to it, and no sooner.

~06:13:04 a.m.~

Quite abruptly, Amaya felt a wave of severe pain and tingling sensations before her entire body went frighteningly numb; seconds later, a very loud crash of thunder reverberated through the air and actually shook the building to its very foundations. Amaya was relieved when she felt the baby roll and kick against the confines of her womb, almost as if protesting to the sound and feeling it caused, as well as Amaya's fear and the adrenaline that was now surging through her system: if the baby was moving in such a manner, then whatever had awakened Amaya had not affected her precious little one. However, there was still the problem of what _had_ caused it, and why it was affecting her in such a manner. Then, almost like magic, she had a sort of revelation: Kurai always went off by himself during storms for the good of others he said. What if being the incarnated form of a lightning bijuu had turned him into a living, walking lightning rod? Of course! That even explained her own unease when she'd first heard the far-off thunder before she fell asleep! Kurai was in the hospital, badly wounded and unable to leave the confines of the building, during a massive thunderstorm complete with lightning strikes: he was an immobile target that practically screamed "Electrocute me!"

A sudden fear gripped her as she gazed out the window in the direction of the hospital: she could see people running in that direction, and quite a few sections of the village still had flickering lights, but most of it was pitch black with the exception of what she knew to be the hospital. Only the hospital was awash in light and she could actually see large arcs of electricity rippling up and out from the building. "Oh no, no, no…" Amaya whispered frantically as she fought to get up past the terrifying numbness that still held sway over most of her body. "Kurai, no…please don't let it be true!" She couldn't feel the tears that fell freely from her eyes and onto her chest as she threw a blanket around herself with unfeeling hands, but she could smell them and taste them. Just as she was throwing open the front door, she found Jiraiya and Naruto preparing to barge in. Both of them looked her over and Jiraiya didn't even ask as he scooped her up into his arms and took off over the rooftops, heading for the hospital with Naruto a step behind him. When they arrived at the large and sterile building, it was to find utter chaos: since it was the only building with fully functioning power and lights, the whole village seemed intent of converging there. Jiraiya soundlessly broke through the crowds as he and Naruto escorted Amaya up to the second floor of the hospital.

"Amaya-hime!" That was Sakura's voice, but Amaya couldn't bring herself to care as she push herself away from Jiraiya and broke into a frantic run to get down the hall to Kurai's room: she pushed right past Shizune, Sasuke, and others that she knew as friends and family, not caring if they got hurt as she clawed her way past them and into the room where Kurai lay. She knew that Sasuke had only ever seen Kurai once, and that the sole time had been when Kurai went with the teams to bring Sasuke and his team back to Konoha a few days after Pein had leveled much of the village. Inside the room, she froze and clasped both hands over her mouth in fascinated horror and unrestrained relief: Kurai was wide awake and sitting up in the bed with a series of wires plugging into the wall to channel the electricity he'd just absorbed into the now powerless hospital and village. She could see that his wounds still hadn't healed completely, and that blood was seeping into the heavy bandages he had over much of his body, but that he was extremely coherent and even going out of his way to ensure that the others who were relying on the machines to keep them alive hadn't lost the power that kept them going for even a single second. With s cry that was a mix between a sob and a laugh, she threw her arms around his neck and held on as tightly as she dared: she had already lost Itachi, so losing Kurai was something that she did not even want to consider entertaining as a possibility. If she lost him now, she might as well tell them to list her as deceased, too. From the doorway, Tsunade commented on how stubborn Kurai was and he teasingly, albeit weakly, shot back that he'd learned from the very best.

"Amaya, as pleased as I am that you care enough to worry, you have to let go…" Kurai chuckled even through his already labored breathing: his collapsed lung was proving to be the hardest thing to fix, since it kept deflating every time he let his guard down. "I can't breathe…" Amaya at once let go and even pulled away like a puppy who'd just been caught being very naughty; this prompted Kurai to laugh outright, but he stopped short with a cough and wiped the resulting blood from his lips with the back of his hand as his eyes traveled to the other bystanders in the hall and near the door itself; Amaya was instantly reaching out a concerned hand aglow with healing chakra to look at his injuries. "Relax, my dear hime…I didn't mean that you had hurt me; raised not to feel pain, remember?" Amaya scowled at him and promptly began yelling at him for being such an idiot as to 'forget mentioning that they probably should have coated the entire outside of the hospital with rubber!', making Kurai snicker appreciatively as he watched the blanket slip from her shoulders to reveal a soaked white t-shirt and a pair of his black pajama pants. Helpfully, he picked up the long-sleeved button up shirt he was supposed to wear as part of his patient 'uniform'; he was disobeying the hospital regulations simply because he inevitably became far too hot even when he didn't wear the blasted thing. Amaya scowled fiercely at him again as she snatched the shirt, put it on, and continued to scold him like a four-year-old for not mentioning pertinent information that he had deemed irrelevant: after all, he had kept the village from getting damaged and was still keeping the hospital running even as he was running power back into the rest of the village. He yawned and got yelled at for that as he raised an eyebrow at the presence of Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, Sai, Kakashi, and Jiraiya in addition to Tsunade and Tsuchino; Naruto, Sakura, and Jiraiya he expected, since Sakura was the only other medic aside from Tsunade or Tsuchino that he allowed to treat him, while Naruto and Jiraiya had to have been the ones to bring Amaya. Sasuke and Sai were just downright surprising to him, though he could rationalize possible reasons for their coming.

"Rai…do you even realize the because of this blasted seal you put on me I was totally numb until I got onto this floor?" Amaya snapped irritably as she glared at him for yawning. He nodded and idly scratched his chin as he continued to scrutinize Sasuke, who returned the critical evaluation he was getting from his new-found sibling with one of his own. Giving a frustrated snarl, Amaya made to leave and the expression on her face was one of surprise and momentary fear as Kurai caught her wrist and pulled her right off her feet; she landed with a soft thump in his lap, her back pressed solidly against his chest as his arms snaked possessively about her waist, which was much fuller than it had been the last time he'd held her.

"Who said I was done with you?" Kurai's tone was one that Amaya was extremely familiar with: he was taunting her for being baited into a fine rage…and falling for it, hook, line, and sinker. She gave him a furious little growl and narrowed her eyes at him dangerously, which only made him smirk. "Do you realize, my furious hime, that you're the only one who's ever been able to touch me after getting struck by lightning that hasn't been fried?" Amaya blinked at him, caught off-guard by the sudden change of topic and opened her mouth to comment, but Kurai took full advantage and captured her mouth in a kiss. "There…" He murmured against her lips. "Now we're even; you won one fight in Kumo and I won this one." He was instantly smacked upside the head for that snide remark, but it didn't hurt and so he was able to just keep smiling as he let her break the kiss, scowling disapprovingly. Tsuchino was openly snickering with Jiraiya while Tsunade had merely face-palmed out of disbelief: these two were unbelievable! They could be fighting one second and making out the next, without any warning or visible distinctions between the two extremes; it was almost like fighting was foreplay to them. Still smirking victoriously while Amaya relaxed against his chest despite the blood that was undoubtedly transferring from his bandages to her clothes, Kurai turned his attentions to his small band of visitors. "So, Tsunade-hime, am I considered well enough to leave now that I can be classified as a danger to the village during storms?" The cynical smirk he wore made Tsunade want to slap him, but she resisted on principal. This was because he was still badly hurt even if he did have an impossible pain tolerance, and could therefore act as if nothing in the world bothered him.

"You haven't changed a bit since I last saw you gaki, and that was what, almost sixteen years ago?" Tsunade teased him right back and Kurai gave her the first genuine smile he'd shone to anyone outside of Amaya and Itachi in years as he gave a short laugh: having gotten struck by lightning was actually boosting his chakra levels and healing him faster.

"Sounds right to me, bachan." He chuckled at the scandalized looks Sakura and Tsuchino were shooting at him. "You're just like a grandmother to Amaya, so I'm allowed to call you that now, aren't I?"

"Don't push your luck or I'll make it so you can't have anymore kids you impudent little punk." Tsunade warned as she silently instructed Tsuchino to unhook the various machines and IVs that were connected to the older Uchiha. "I assume that you did intend on more little Uchihas?" Amaya looked up at him expectantly, wanting to see the gears as they turned in his head while he titled it to one side thoughtfully.

"I never pictured myself as the fatherly-type, but the idea is growing on me." Amaya's mouth was hanging slightly open, which the others interpreted as annoyance with him, but which he knew to be surprise. "Mind you, I don't exactly have a choice right now, what with Amaya already being six months pregnant, but I think that perhaps I would like at least one more; provided, that's if she doesn't kill me when she has this one." Now Amaya laughed and snuggled closer to him as she spoke.

"No, you'd like the pain too much; you _are_ a masochist after all." Kurai chuckled while glibly responded that if he was a masochist, then she was his sadist; she lightly punched his arm and he chuckled again. "Of course, I should expect as much since you were raised by Orochimaru and Danzo." Kurai went still at her words and she knew she'd hit the right nerve; he frowned down at her and then looked up at Tsunade expectantly, wanting to know what had become of Danzo and the elders who had been responsible for his childhood, Naruto's treatment, and the Uchiha massacre.

"They have been given to Ibiki and Anko for the moment, since Sasuke wanted them to suffer like those they'd hurt had suffered. Amaya also said that you wanted to ask Danzo an important question, so we have put off their sentencing while stripping them of all their authority and power." Kurai nodded his approval at Tsunade's words and tilted his head in Sasuke's direction, once again surveying his youngest brother for any sign of a reaction to him. Finally, he saw a flicker of nervousness as Sasuke's eye twitched.

"Sasuke, did you ever see any of the photos mother had of the day you were born?" Sasuke nodded slowly, obviously still wary of trusting Kurai, while Naruto and Sakura had both gone still: Sasuke never spoke of his family outside of his plan to kill Itachi. "Did you ever notice how sometimes, she took out a second picture of Itachi holding you?" Again, Sasuke nodded, but now there was a flicker of understanding in his eyes. "What did you notice about those pictures?"

"One of them shows Itachi with a braid, but Itachi never braided his hair; Mother told me that he did it for Amaya-hime." Sasuke said slowly, realizing that his mother had never actually said that it was Itachi, only that the boy in the picture looked a lot like Itachi and braided his hair for Amaya-hime. "It wasn't Itachi…it was you, wasn't it?"

"Now you're catching on, kiddo." Kurai was absently scratching at his right shoulder. :_God I wish I had a smoke right now…but that Amaya would skin me alive!_: He though irritably as he turned his focus back to Sasuke. "I swore that I would take care of you and Itachi that day, no matter what Danzo and the elders turned me into or I allowed myself to become. I joined Akatsuki to obey orders and monitor Orochimaru, but I stayed even after he left because of Madara; that man is extremely dangerous, Sasuke. He planned to use you as a pawn, to wipe out the whole of Konoha while he got off without a single shred of evidence to implicate him. That is also why Itachi joined them; he had learned who Madara was and that he was alive, so he decided to keep an eye on him from the inside of the very thing that threatened the things he held dear." Kurai yawned a bit and realized that Amaya had fallen asleep against his chest; she looked so very fragile, yet utterly at peace, and he smiled as he spoke again. "He always knew he was going to die by your hand, as did I, but I didn't exactly help the situation…" He shook his head as he met Sasuke's eyes wit ha level and serious gaze. "Itachi and I fought over a lot of things, but none so much as you and Amaya. Do not misunderstand me, Sasuke, when I say that I was all for letting you go to Orochimaru; I spent the first two years of my life under his direct supervision and care. I know better than anyone, save perhaps Jiraiya, Tsunade, and the Third, what he is and why he's like that." Kurai was now rubbing at the back of his neck in absent annoyance: there was a very fine scar there, and it was for the most part undetectable by those who did not know where to look.

"What are you trying to say, Kurai-san?" Sakura was obviously horrified by what she guessed Kurai to be saying. "Do you mean that you wanted Sasuke to go to Orochimaru and become his new body?"

"No, but I knew better than anyone that Orochimaru could make him stronger; strong enough to kill Itachi and stand a chance against me. I don't mean to say that I would kill him, but I am virtually a bijuu in human form. Madara has always been able to bend the bijuu to his will using his Eternal Mangekyou, just as Shodaime Hokage could use his technique to tame them; suffice to say that Madara easily could have bent me to his will and made me his personal slave with all the powers of the Rokubi." Kurai sighed as he ran a hair through his hair, noting that he was in need of a haircut or a new way of styling his shaggy mane. "I wanted you to go to Orochimaru so that you would become strong enough to protect yourself from me if the need ever came to do so. Itachi said that I was out of my mind to simply let you go to him, but in the end I convinced him not to interfere until you had either absorbed or killed the snake yourself. In the end, I was right and you were stronger that Orochimaru, absorbing him and reversing his own jutsu on him. All that was left was for Itachi to force him out and remove him from you forever, taking his curse seal with him. However, I can tell you from intimate and rather unpleasant means of knowledge that Orochimaru is very much alive; just as he implanted the DNA of the Shodaime into sixty-five children, only one of whom survived. What nobody knew, though, was that he implanted his own DNA into a few kids, too. I'm the only one who lived through that particular experiment and the unfortunate result is that I'm the perfect person to track him because I'm constantly aware of him. Luckily, it's a one-way link and he cannot trace me in return. I knew the instant he tried to take you over and I also knew the instant that he was separated from you by Susano'o." Kurai chuckled at the looks of shock and revulsion that his 'visitors', including Tsunade, wore; he had only ever told the Third, Minato-sama, and Jiraiya that information and two of them were dead.

"You have Orochimaru's DNA infused into you?" Tsunade was both appalled by the information and awed by the level of control Kurai had maintained over his outward appearance and facial expression; she could feel the anger that radiated off of him, so she knew that under his impersonal façade that he was furious. "And it hasn't taken over your body?"

"Oh, it's not for a lack of trying Tsunade; trust me, Orochimaru already tried that. When I proved unattainable, he went after Itachi and was promptly beaten for that as well as raping Amaya." Now that caused a total uproar, but Kurai silenced everyone with a very inhuman snarl. "I wasn't finished speaking, so if all of you would kindly shut up and let me continue I will take questions after the lecture." He snapped irritably; he hated loud noises and they had just given him a massive headache with their ruckus. So, he began to explain to them why he had done the things he had and by the end of the lecture, Sasuke simply turned on his heel and left without a word. Kurai had expected as much: he knew that it would take Sasuke time to get used to him and he didn't care if the boy never did, he would still be his big brother. Smiling, Kurai knew what he wanted to say to Sasuke more than anything, so he did just as Sasuke was pushing open the door to the stairs: he was still within hearing range if Kurai raised his voice a bit. "You and I are brothers, and that's a unique bond. As a hurdle you must overcome, I'll always be there for you." Sasuke froze and turned to look back at Kurai, who locked eyes with the youngest Uchiha as he spoke. Naruto and the others were simply staring, awe-struck and utterly confused. "Even if you hate me…that's what being a big brother is." Sasuke slowly walked back into the room and stopped right in front of Kurai.

"What did you just say…?" He asked, looking at Kurai as if he were a ghost. Kurai smiled but obliged his youngest brother by repeating himself.

"I said, "You and I are brothers, and that's a unique bond. As a hurdle you must overcome, I'll always be there for you. Even if you hate me…that's what being a big brother is." I know it sounds familiar to you, because Itachi told you that just before you started at the Academy, didn't he?" Sasuke nodded silently; his entire body and even his mind felt numb. "Yeah, well…I suppose that you could say that he got that from me, since I told him the same thing when we were given the mission to act as spies within the clan and then to annihilate them. He always did hate me for having abandoned the clan and virtually the entire village. I was only loyal to nine people: the Third, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Minato-sama, Kushina-sama, Amaya, Naruto, Itachi and you. As far as I cared, everyone else could rot in Hell for they way they treated me like a mere tool without feelings or thoughts to be used at a whim." Kurai sighed as he looked at Sasuke and how internally torn the boy obviously was. "There was only one time where Itachi and I ever actually exchanged blows, though, and that was when I found out Amaya was pregnant; I was angry at Itachi for something or other. I lost control and hit him with my chakra at its most vicious: it acted like a cancer, slowly killing Itachi from the inside out, and he would have died by now even had you not killed him Sasuke. Amaya was furious with me and refused to even look at me until Hidan and Kakuzu killed Asuma, when I brought her a package from Itachi. You could say that I was the one to deliver his will to his next of kin, since you wouldn't have wanted it then anyway. However, Amaya still didn't forgive me until we came back here to Konoha, three days before you came back Sasuke. So, now do you believe that I am who I claim to be?" Sasuke did not answer as he once again made his way out of the room. Kurai shook his head and sighed before Jiraiya and the others began asking questions: he had opened a large can of worms, and now he was going to have to face the consequences.


	11. Welcoming Truth & Light

Here is chapter eleven; I hope I did the characters a least a bit of justice this time... XD Now read it and whether you like it/hate it/love it, review it!

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Promises to Keep, Chapter Eleven: Welcoming Truth & Light

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As the weeks passed, Kurai once again took up his old role as an ANBU elite, with Amaya acting as his Touchstone. About a month after he'd been struck by lightning and the entire village, with the exception of the hospital, had lost power, Kurai took up a small matter with Jiraiya: he was planning on asking Amaya to marry him, but was at a loss as to how to go about it. Jiraiya only offered up one thing: do something that she'll love, but which she would never expect from you. All in all, this was both invaluable advice and utterly useless in Kurai's book. Now, he was sitting on the couch, with Amaya lying on her side next to him; it was still fairly early in the morning and she had fallen asleep while he was reading over an encrypted scroll that Tsunade had given him to crack. As he read, he was idly sending minute flares of chakra from the fingertips of his free hand to 'tickle' the baby. Truthfully, he was getting extremely attached to the idea of raising the kid as his own, and he knew that Itachi had been counting on just that when he'd asked him. Unlike Naruto and the other teens, Kurai was aware that the rings Amaya wore around her neck were her and Naruto's parents' wedding rings. Sighing, he tossed the scroll onto the coffee table and looked down at Amaya, brushing a hair from her cheek; he wasn't even sure if she'd accept his proposal, but he also knew that the only way to find out for certain was to ask anyway. It was getting very close to Christmas, and he wanted to give her a present she'd love…but what to give her? He had no idea what to get her for Christmas, which was only a week away, much less how to ask her to marry him without feeling like a total fool and failing miserably. He was therefore thoroughly agitated with himself and the snide comments of the Rokubi's consciousness were of no help whatsoever.

**:_Why don't you just ask her then, and get it over with? Honestly, cublet…I do not see the need for all this vexation and foolishness._: **Kurai mentally snarled at the wolf.

**:_You are not human, Akuma; humans require a token of affection when asking for their mate's acceptance._: **He replied to the bijuu's question, losing his patience with the older consciousness. **:_To simply ask what they would like defeats the purpose of proving how much you care, since the more you care, the more you know and the better the gift you are expected to present._: **The Rokubi snorted derisively at this snippet of information.

**:_It sounds utterly preposterous, and quite unnecessary, to this one._:** Kurai laughed at the wolf's indignation with human tradition, but neither said anything else as Amaya stirred and murmured in her sleep; smiling, Kurai lifted her and carried her to the master bedroom, laying her on the bed before he left to ask one other person for advice. His thought was that perhaps Sumomo, Hatori's mother and the woman who'd raised Amaya, might have a few ideas. While he was at it, he might even find Tsuchino visiting with her mother-in-law and get the female Special Jounin to re-do the stitches he'd accidentally pulled on the mission to Kumo Tsunade had given him three days previously. In the interest of preserving his hide, he had kept the pulled stitches hidden from Amaya; moreover, Amaya had plenty to worry about without him adding to it. Now that Tsunade was planning on assigning her to a genin team or giving her a job as an instructor either at the Academy or at the Hospital, Amaya was rather testy and tended to worry excessively about Kurai and the baby. She had chosen not to know the gender of the baby and had only allowed Tsunade or Tsuchino to examine her; Tsunade had informed them, however, that there was a good possibility of Amaya birthing twins, since Kurai and Itachi were twin brothers and Kushina's family had a history of them as well. Amaya had blinked and promptly announced that she felt dizzy when Tsunade told them this, but Kurai had merely shrugged while taking it all in stride. Twins wouldn't be a problem, it just meant that much more work would be required and that they'd have two to love instead of one; this was no big deal as far as he could tell, but rather it was a good thing in his mind. As these and other thoughts idly presented themselves to Kurai's mind, he was weaving his way in and out of the village's streets while passing people who didn't even blink at the ANBU and Uchiha crest tattoos he bore on both upper arms: it was nice to not be stared at or treated like some sort of rabid beast for once. He soon found Sumomo Moritaka in the Yamanaka's flower shop: it would appear that she was looking for Tsuchino, who was probably helping out in the shop for her uncle, Inoichi Yamanaka.

"Oi, Tsuchino!" Kurai called loudly as he entered the shop, knowing that he would not only get Sumomo's attention, but that of anyone else in the building. "Has Hatori forgiven me yet, or is he still acting like a dick?" Even as Kurai spoke, Tsuchino came rushing out from wherever it was she had been and clamped a hand over Kurai's mouth. The older woman was grinning from ear to ear, but still gave him an admonishing look as she released the unrepentant Uchiha.

"He's away on a mission, but if Genma hears you say that, he'll try to kick your ass Rai." Tsuchino whispered conspiratorially, to which Kurai merely shook his head and sighed.

"Ah, but Tsuchi…when will they learn that Kakashi and Asuma were the only ones who could give me a decent sparring match? Tell Genma that if he wants to kick my ass, he'll have to improve his skills by at least doubling what they are now before I won't accidentally kill him." Kurai was smiling, with a sadistic glint in his eye, as he said this and Tsuchino burst into laughter.

"Alright, Kurai, what do yo want, eh? You've never come looking for me without a good reason." Tsuchino eyed him curiously while Sumomo simply stood, confused by the exchange between this odd young man and her daughter-in-law. "It's not Amaya-chan is it?" Suddenly the slightly older woman was all concern as she leaned over the counter to grab Kurai's arm; Kurai shook his head and told her that no, it wasn't Amaya.

"I came here because I thought that as something of an older sister, you might be able to help me with something; well, you and Moritaka-san." Tsuchino was instantly pulling Kurai towards a chair in a small room off the main shop with Sumomo in tow. Taking this as the closest thing he'd get to an invitation to spill his guts, Kurai kept talking as he was forced down into a chair. "I suppose I'd better just say exactly what's bothering me then. Tsuchino, Moritaka-san, I want to ask Amaya to marry me, but I have no idea how." Tsuchino clapped a hand over her own mouth as she squealed like a schoolgirl, she was so excited; Sumomo simply blinked, since she had only met Kurai perhaps four times over the years. Once had been when Amaya was very young, perhaps two or three years old, and the other times had all been when he'd sporadically stopped by to 'check on her by order of the Hokage', he'd said. Then she had met him once again, most recently, when Amaya had been over to the house to visit Sumomo a couple of weeks ago; the lad had been wrapped in bandages practically from his neck to his knees and had been a bit short-tempered, but she'd assumed it was due to pain from his injuries. Now, as he sat before her looking so kind-hearted and sincere, she was certain her first impressions of him had been correct: despite everything else that he was, this man loved Amaya and he would care for and protect her with his life.

"Oh! Oh, Kurai this is great: when were you planning on asking her?!" Tsuchino was ecstatic and Kurai was trying to ignore the throb that was developing behind his eyes from the sound of her high-pitched squeal and giggles. "Wait, you want our advice on how to propose? But you're an Uchiha; you shouldn't have any problem with _that_!" Kurai frowned, beginning to get annoyed with Tsuchino's apparent belief that just because he was Itachi's twin, he should have no problem being calm, cool, and collected enough to come up with the perfect proposal and then enact it.

"Yes, well…I had been planning on asking her one Christmas, but Amaya is a difficult person to pinpoint sometimes… For instance, she's often gotten pissed at me for things that shouldn't bother her at all. I'd prefer to have her say 'yes' rather than kill me for doing it wrong." Tsuchino suddenly looked crestfallen, seeming to understand what Kurai meant.

"Yeah, you mean like that fight you two had in Kumo just before we came home…" Kurai raised an eyebrow, as if asking her what on earth she meant. "Hatori and I…well, we overheard the argument, or at least most of it; she was really pissed, but you didn't really say anything _wrong_. You were just telling her the truth and she was doing the same; both of you were describing each other at the moment exactly as you were behaving. Honestly, watching the two of you was like watching a really good battle where you know both fighters are likely to win, but you already know who will cave in first. Hatori really expected you to win, but she did; he even bet that Amaya would cave in first and break down crying if she didn't beat you to death first." Kurai made an 'Ah-ha' face and chuckled.

"Yeah…she caught me by surprise that time; I wasn't expecting her to use Itachi against me." Tsuchino made to ask what he meant but he pressed on, ignoring her question. "So, how should I do this?" Frowning, Tsuchino began to give him every idea she had, including a few things that Amaya had confided in her over the years, while Sumomo put in her two cents here and there.

~Same day, 11:26:08 a.m.~

Tsuchino had all but dragged Kurai to the Jounin quarters and had hastily grabbed everything she'd need. So it was that she was unbinding the hasty bandaging he'd wrapped about his pulled stitches outside the Academy when Kakashi and Team 7, including Yamato and Sai, came up to them. Kurai was easily ignoring the pain as Tsuchino peeled away the gauze, taking clotted blood, scabs, a few of the pulled stitches, and tissue with it. All of the members of Team 7 stopped as they saw precisely what Tsuchino was doing, and what was coming off with the bandages.

"Kurai-san, doesn't that hurt at all?!" Sakura asked, aghast at Kurai's disinterested expression when he looked at the bandages and raised an eyebrow at them.

"No." Was the simple reply as he shrugged and Tsuchino swatted him, stating that he needed to hold still if he wanted her to re-stitch the dagger wound in his chest. "Fine, Tsuchi…just promise you won't tell Amaya; she'll only worry if she knows I pulled them."

"'Pulled them _again_.' is what you meant, isn't it Rai?" Tsuchino hissed through her teeth as she got the last of the gauze wrap off of Kurai's torso; though all the internal injuries were gone, he still bore the wounds from Zetsu's dagger and the Samehada, all of which had to be stitched and bandaged while healing. "Honestly, this is the fifth time since you were released that I've had to re-do these stitches. Can't you _ever_ keep from hurting yourself for even a day?"

"No, I can't." Kurai answered with another shrug, causing Naruto to wince as he saw the flesh stretch and more blood ooze out from between the remaining stitches. "After all, you'd always be hurting yourself if you couldn't feel pain either. After twenty years of feeling constant pain, you just get used to it. Now, start stitching Tsuchino, before I decide to let it heal without them." Tsuchino sighed at Kurai's words, aware that Sasuke was staring at the countless wounds and scars that riddled his brother's body; it was obvious that Sasuke had never seen someone with so many who was still breathing. Sakura had turned away, unable to watch despite her medical training, as Tsuchino began to stitch the wounds closed without any anesthetics; all she had done was clean and disinfect the wounds before she began to sew with a sterilized needle and thread. Sai simply watched as if entranced, having been raised in Root as well, while Kakashi and Yamato remained silent: Kakashi had been ANBU and Yamato still was, so both understood the reasoning behind Kurai's view on stitches and pain.

Meanwhile, Amaya was waking up and she stretched out as far as she could in the big master bed. She then duly noted Kurai's absence and sighed; it was so very boring being cooped up in the two story home day in and day out, unable to do much because of the limitations of partial bed rest. Additionally, few people came to keep her company outside of Team 7 and Iruka. Naturally, Kurai had moved in with her, so he was generally there when he wasn't on a mission or doing something for Tsunade; therefore, she idly wondered where he'd gotten off to as she rose from the bed and decided to take a brief shower before dressing. She paused in front of the full-length mirror in the bathroom, titling her head and smiling as she cupped one hand around the lower curve of her belly. She knew something that Kurai didn't, and she intended to keep it a secret from him; she wanted to surprise him, and she could only hope it was a surprise that he'd like. Still smiling, she carefully got into the shower after stripping off her clothes, once again marveling at her luck in not having a single stretch mark despite how large her belly was getting: her waist had gone from thirty inches around to nearly forty-four inches around at the fullest point in the baby bulge. She had decided that it might be prudent to cut her hair, even a little, since it currently came down to her knees and babies liked to pull on hair; she'd get Tsuchino or Ino to do that later. Right now, she just wanted to wash her hair, scrub herself clean, and let the warm water soothe away the effects of sleeping too long. She could also feel an occasionally sharp, but mainly dull and throbbing, pain in her lower back and it was beginning to annoy her…as well as concern her. She was even quicker than normal as she rinsed the shampoo and conditioner from her hair. However, when she felt a rather sharp pain in her side, originating from her lower back but spreading around into her abdomen, she realized that she might be having contractions. Abandoning her shower as soon as she had all of the conditioner out, Amaya hastily yet carefully dried herself off with a small whirlwind of heated air; it was a combination lightning and wind jutsu that she'd picked up from Kurai shortly after he was let out of the hospital. Pulling on her underwear, she paused as another pain rippled through her lower body: roughly seven minutes had passed between the pains, and she was now certain that it was contractions. That meant she needed to get to a doctor, or preferably the hospital, since she knew that at only thirty weeks, she was going to need Tsunade's help.

~Ten minutes previously~

Just as Tsuchino was tying off the bandages she'd replaced around Kurai's torso, he suddenly sat up straighter, almost as if someone had just slapped him in the face. He looked up at the others sharply, his lip pulling back in a sort of half-snarl as he grabbed his shirt and pulled it on, taking the time to be wary of the brand-new stitches as he went. Standing up rather abruptly, he thanked Tsuchino with a curt nod and began to walk away at an anxious pace. Both puzzled and curious about Kurai's sudden attitude change, Naruto chased after him while calling for him to slow down a bit.

"Kurai, what's the matter?" Naruto asked, catching up with the taller man that he'd accepted as a brother; Sakura, Sai, and an aloof Sasuke were right behind him. Yamato and Kakashi called that they would file the report, it was okay to just abandon them, but they weren't heard as Kurai broke out into an all out run. "Kurai, hold up a sec!" Naruto exclaimed as the older Uchiha brother shifted to his one-tailed wolf form and growled to get people to move out of their way; even his wolf form had the bandages wrapped about it's middle, which was a mildly amusing sight on such a large wolf. However, when the streets proved too crowded to provide quick passage, Kurai snarled and leapt onto a nearby roof, with the four teenagers following out of curiosity and concern. If Kurai was so frantic to get back to the house and had even turned wolf to get there quicker, something was up and it probably had Amaya at the center of it. Without breaking pace for an instant, Kurai barreled into the heart of the village and began heading in the direction of the Uchiha complex, since just before that was where the old home of Yondaime lay, surrounded by an outstretched arm of the forest. Even as the gate to the large wall surrounding the Namikaze manor came into view and grew ever nearer, Kurai did not slow down; rather, while Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and Sasuke began to slow down and stop, Kurai put on a final burst of speed and vaulted his lupine form right up and over the wall with a howl. Panting and pausing to catch their breath, the four teens, bent over with their hands on their knees, exchanged looks that plainly said what each was thinking.

"It…has…to be…Amaya-hime!" Sakura said between gasps for air as Sasuke, the first to recover, pushed open the gate and headed for the house.

"Yeah…but he could've…at least waited…for us!" Naruto said with a mixture of annoyance and anxiety as he followed Sasuke with Sakura hot on his heels and Sai in the rear. Inside, Kurai was back in his normal human body and was calling for Amaya as he poked his head in every room, looking for her, his fear plain in the very way he was acting. Sasuke and the other three teens could all hear him going from room to room, and finally caught him as he was dashing up the stairs to the second floor; silently, they ran up the stairs behind him and stopped short when they nearly ran full into his back.

"Oh, Amaya, what have you gotten yourself into now?" He whispered so softly that they all jumped when he quickly dashed past the nursery, which he had stopped to stare at: it was finished, and none of them had done it. When Kurai had left just two hours previously, the nursery had only been ¾ of the way done, so he knew that Amaya had to have messed with it herself. Smelling her shampoo, he deduced that she was either in or near the bathroom, so he headed there first. A brief wave of relief washed over him when he opened the bedroom door and saw her leaning on the footboard of the bed; he was in tune with her thanks to the seal he'd put on her, so he knew that she was in pain, but she did not look as if she'd hurt herself. "Amaya, what's wrong? Did you hurt yourself?" He asked quietly as he went to her side, instinctively pulling her to him. Amaya shook her head negatively and he frowned; on a sudden hunch, he pressed one hand against her swollen belly and found it to be hard. :_Contractions…? Its too early…if she goes into labor, then the baby will be premature and there will be problems for both of them; possibly even fatal problems._: Kurai felt the panic from that first little pang he'd felt come swarming back as he realized that he needed to find Tsunade as quickly as possible; luckily, three out of four teenagers had unwittingly volunteered themselves as bloodhounds while the other had just become a midwife without warning. "Naruto, I need you, Sasuke, and Sai to split up and find Tsunade as quick as you can, then bring her back here." Naruto made to question him but Kurai silenced him with a look and a growl. "Don't ask me why, just get moving!" The blonde instantly took off, followed closely by Sai, while Sasuke hesitated.

"It's the baby, isn't it?" Sasuke asked bluntly as he stared down the man he was coming to accept as his older brother. Sakura gasped as she realized that Kurai would have known the second Amaya went into labor since he'd put a seal on her that connected them through an exchange of chakra; he could probably feel a portion of what Amaya was feeling, just as she'd felt it when he was struck by lightning.

"Oh, my god…it is the baby! Of course you would feel it!" Sakura said to Kurai as if this were the most obvious thing in the world, despite her only just having noticed it herself. She then rushed to examine Amaya while Kurai nodded in answer of Sasuke's question and the raven-haired youth returned the nod before vanishing to search for the Lady Sannin. "We have to get her to lie down; gravity will only pull the baby farther down and make the contractions worse!" Kurai frowned but decided that Sakura probably knew more than he did about delivering babies, so he did what she said and lifted Amaya ever so gently to lay her on the bed.

"No…stay with me." Amaya whispered as the pain and tension of the latest contraction lifted and Kurai made to fetch a pillow to prop behind her. 'Don't leave me alone…' was what Kurai heard when she asked him to stay and he hesitated, but only for a moment. He sighed before easily sliding onto the bed behind her, letting her lean back against him, and resting his chin on the top of her head while softly shushing her with soothing words and murmured nothings. He was pleased to note that she was still-leveled headed even through the pain as she began to speak to Sakura about her condition. "They're about seven minutes apart and they're not terribly strong, just very uncomfortable." Sakura began nodding furiously as she found a piece of paper and a pencil, scribbling down everything Amaya said for when Tsunade got there. "My water hasn't broken, but I don't know if I've begun dilating or effacing; I can't exactly check that myself as I am." The rosette blushed a bit as she wrote the last bit down before mumbling that she had been trained to deliver babies, but had only ever done so with Shizune or another medic present to preside over the delivery. Amaya laughed but it was short-lived as another contraction rippled across her belly, pulling all of the muscles taut in her expanded womb. Kurai decided to try something, but he wasn't sure if it would help or just not work at all: he gently extended some of his chakra, willing it to soothe and heal, into his hands and palms as he cautiously rubbed and massaged Amaya's stomach. His hope and theory was that his chakra would soothe the baby and the muscles, causing both to relax, and potentially ease the contractions. As Naruto came running back up the stairs with one hand pulling Tsunade by the arm, Sai and Sasuke right behind them, Kurai felt Amaya begin to relax a bit more against him. She was simply leaning her head back on his shoulder, nuzzling her nose against his neck in an attempt to ignore the contractions by using the comfort of his presence, the feel of his skin on hers' and the scent of him, as a distraction. She felt it when Tsunade's hands pressed urgently against her belly, feeling out the contractions and distractedly doling out instructions to Sakura. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai were promptly ordered to wait downstairs, so they went despite their concerns before Tsunade or Sakura could make them leave by force.

Once downstairs, the threesome found Iruka, Kakashi, Jiraiya, and Tsuchino; she had been on her way over to check on Amaya when she'd seen Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai looking for Tsunade. Tsuchino had rushed to the home of her adopted sister-in-law, and now she was pushing past the others and up towards the master bedroom without a word. Sai was concerned because he understood Kurai, and by interacting with the older Root ANBU, he was beginning to learn how to interact with others again…he was beginning to live like the teenager he was. It was for this reason that he had attached himself to Kurai and then shortly afterwards to Amaya; they, like Naruto, were showing him what it was to be normal and to have bonds. Kakashi had come to train with Sasuke and Naruto, while Iruka had simply been looking for Tsunade and had seen Naruto dragging her along behind him, and Jiraiya had been _with_ Tsunade when Naruto had grabbed her. However, there were also two people that none of them knew: a brunette woman with very long hair and brown eyes standing next to a man with platinum blond hair and green eyes. Something about them made the hair on the back of Naruto's neck stand on end; it was almost as if he knew them, but didn't recall having ever met them before.

"Will somebody enlighten us as to what the ruckus is about?" Jiraiya asked with both concern and slight annoyance in his tone.

"Onéchan is having contractions, and it's still too early! So, Kurai-niisan sent us to find Tsunade-bachan." Naruto said as he cast another worried look at the stairs before glumly plopping down onto the couch; Sasuke surprised the others in the room by placing a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder, squeezing briefly before he took a more habitual and casual position leaning against the wall behind the couch…and close to the stairs.

"Did Tsunade say what would happen if the contractions couldn't be stopped?" Iruka asked worriedly; his concern for Amaya was apparent, for he had been on the same genin team as Hatori and Tsuchino, and over time the Chûnin had come to think of her as family, just as he thought of Naruto as family. Sasuke shook his head in a negative answer to Iruka's question, since Naruto was not paying attention: the blond was busy muttering things to himself that weren't exactly coherent in-between anxious glances up at the ceiling or in the direction of the stairs. Silence ensued right up until Sakura came hurrying down the stairs and instantly ran smack into Sasuke, who had poked his head around the wall to see who was charging down the steps. The result was Sasuke catching Sakura as both of them fell over backwards, and Naruto vaulted over the back of the couch to catch both of them: Sai laughed as the original threesome of Team 7 landed hard on the floor in a tangled mass of arms, legs, and bodies.

"Owww…" This single word came from all three of the teens as they rubbed various sore spots, eliciting even more snickers from Sai as he helpfully held out a hand to Sakura, who was still on top of the boys and the only one not hopelessly pinned or entangled in the bodies of her teammates, and helping the rosette to her feet. Sakura then noticed Sasuke and Naruto, both of who were lightly bickering as to whose fault it was that they were now stuck together at a rather amusing angle: Naruto's head was between Sasuke's knees, since he'd dove off the couch and towards the stairs while Sasuke was falling backwards away from the stairs. The raven had landed flat on his back on top of the other boy, who was effectively pinned even as his leg had snared Sasuke's arm as he'd flung it out to halt his fall. At the spectacle of both proud boys unable to get free of each other's limbs, Sakura burst into helpless giggles and bent over double while pointing and clutching her stomach.

"You two…look so ridiculous!" She said between giggles, and was promptly rewarded with a death glare from Sasuke while Naruto simply shouted that it was '**NOT funny!**' After taking a moment to compose herself, Sakura helped Sai to untangle the other two boys and was stifling giggles as Naruto dusted off his ass; Sasuke gave a small smirk at this sight, but was unaware that he'd been caught doing so. "Well, now that we're all sorted out and untangled from that human dog-pile…" Sakura was obviously trying to regain the attention of her two teammates, both of whom appeared to have been completely thrown off by the previous moment's events. "Tsunade-shishou has stopped the contractions and Kurai-san has taken Amaya-hime to the hospital. Ah-ah, wait a second, I wasn't finished!" Sakura held up a hand to silence Naruto before he could even form the protest that she knew he would make. "He used his version of the Fourth's Hiraishin, so of course you wouldn't have seen him Naruto. Anyways, Amaya-hime will be on total bed rest for at least four weeks, which is the absolute earliest that Tsunade-shishou will stop hindering the labor. Relax Naruto, Sasuke…Amaya-hime is okay and so is the baby; you're still going to be the uncles of a very well-protected newborn."

"She's not joking about the well-protected part, either." Tsuchino said as she came downstairs. "Tsunade-sensei went out the window, Jiraiya-sama; she didn't want Kurai terrorizing the hospital staff without her being close behind him, and I don't blame her." The other woman was shaking her head in amusement. "He is not the type of expectant father I would want to have on one of my shifts! Of course, I wouldn't want Naruto, Sasuke, or Kakashi either; all of them would probably be completely unbearable in their protectiveness and worry. If I had to pick someone as what I think would be an ideal expectant father, I'd take Itachi or Asuma, but I won't exactly have to worry about them…it makes me sad to think about that, but oh well… Of course, since the baby will be descended from not only the Uchiha clan, but also the Namikaze and Uzumaki clans, there really is no child that will have quite so many shinobi of such high levels ready to kill anyone who even thinks of hurting the kid." Tsuchino seemed impervious to the spluttering and protestations of nearly everyone in the room at her little ramble about perspective would-be fathers and the protective streaks all men seemed to share. It was at this juncture that she noticed the two bystanders that were not known to the others: she instantly recognized Amaya's clay transformation technique, since she had known Amaya since before the girl learned it. The slow pulse of Amaya's chakra, held in place by a small seal on the chest of both of them, was a dead give-away as to the presence and usage of the technique and the fact that it was not they who were maintaining it, but Amaya herself. She was able to guess who they might be, but she decided to leave it alone and merely nodded to them. "Anyway, the assignment of a team to her has been put off until such time as she has delivered the baby and sufficiently recovered. However, we have one small hitch in the form of this: Hatori has been sitting just outside of Akatsuki's main base for a few days now, and he just sent Kurai a message that Pein is planning a move towards Konoha again with the other two remaining Akatsuki members, Konan and Tobi." At this, everyone's heads snapped up to gape at Tsuchino. "They are after Amaya-hime this time, and what's worse is that Kurai says Orochimaru is gaining power again: soon, he'll have recovered enough to take over a new body, and of course there's still Kabuto to consider."

"Orochimaru is going to resurrect himself?" Sakura asked in mixed horror and fascination. "He really is the epitome of sick, creepy, and twisted…" Tsuchino laughed, since she knew that the rosette had to have gotten that line from Kurai.

"Indeed, so he is; now, I suggest that we find another means of occupying ourselves that don't include ruining Kurai's now nonexistent good mood." This quip came from Jiraiya, as he indicated that they all find something else to do that was not standing in the living room of the capricious female Namikaze and the 'viciously foul-tempered when angered' Uchiha.

~Six weeks and six days later~

Kurai was just returning from a mission in Suna, which the whole of Team 7 and Sasuke's Team Eagle had undergone with him, when the message arrived via Tengu, Itachi's crow that had been left to Amaya. Frowning as he let the bird alight on his shoulder, Kurai did not need to read the message tied to its leg: he already knew that Amaya was in active labor, thanks to the seal he'd placed on her. So, he easily bid the others farewell, since it was common knowledge to those in Konoha that only one ANBU wore a black mask, much less that of a wolf with six silver markers, two on the forehead and two on each cheek: that ANBU was Kurai of the Uchiha clan. He was the only ANBU, or ANBU equivalent, in any of the shinobi villages to wear a black mask, since the masks of the various villages' entire elite assassin squads tended to be white with variously colored markings. It was slightly less common knowledge that Kurai had indeed proposed to Amaya, and that she had in turn accepted the proposal of marriage; they had been married, by means of a quiet and private ceremony performed by Tsunade. Afterwards, Kurai had personally taken the marriage license to get the daimyo of Fire Country's signature, so that the marriage would be acknowledged and viable in all of the Five Great Countries as well as many of the smaller ones. Now, Kurai wore a simple silver wedding band engraved with the Uchiha symbol as well as the symbols for the Namikaze and Uzumaki clans on the inside, which he kept on a chain on his neck during missions. Amaya had an identical wedding band, sized according to her pre-pregnancy ring size, which she was wearing on a chain around her neck until after she had given birth, as well as the simple amethyst engagement ring he'd given her; something had given him a distinct feeling that the stone would be fitting. Now, with the likelihood of Amaya delivering within the next forty-eight hours drastically rising, he knew he'd been right.

Naruto and the others blinked as they watched him leave, mildly confused by his easy dismissal and nonchalant attitude; normally, he would take them all to Ichiraku's or to get yakiniku when the group returned from a mission with him, but not today. Today, Kurai just only waved over his shoulder as he walked away, stating that he would catch up with Naruto and Sasuke later for a good sparring match. Intrigued, the group decided that Team Eagle, Yamato, and Sai would be the ones to submit the team reports on the mission while Kakashi just went with them so he could surprise Iruka; this meant that only Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto, and the Sand Siblings were left to ponder Kurai's change in demeanor.

"I wonder what's up with Rai…" Naruto was obviously talking aloud to himself as he slowly and absently followed after his brother-in-law. Sasuke sighed but followed, since he too was curious as to what was making his brother act like Itachi…well, like more like how Itachi had been before he joined ANBU at any rate. Sakura quickly explained to Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro that Kurai was Sasuke's older brother and Naruto's brother-in-law as they began walking behind the blond and the raven-haired pair. Before long, they found themselves outside of the Hospital and Sakura made an 'o' face as she spotted Kurai ignoring the rules yet again by pulling out a cigarette and lighting it as he stood, smirking mischievously, just outside the main entrance; smoking was prohibited on Hospital grounds, and here he was in plain sight taking a long drag off of his diminishing addiction to nicotine. Indeed, he had severely cut back on his smoking habit, only occasionally pulling one out when Amaya was not around or far enough away from him for the dangers of second-hand smoke not to have any real effect or weight. He now only drank socially and rarely in large quantities, but he was still incorrigible when it came to sex: this much was made known by his recent habit of creating a clone to look like Amaya, just to keep himself 'company'. This particular bit of information had come to Sakura via Ino, who got it from Tsuchino, the older woman having been told by a giggling Amaya.

"Naruto, Sasuke…I think I know why he's acting like that!" Sakura said quietly as the group of six teens watched Kurai take a final pull off the cigarette, rub out the cherry on the wall, and drop it while squishing it under his boot before turning on his heel and walking into the hospital. Both males looked at her as if saying, "Well, care to share your idea? Or are you just gonna gloat?" Frowning and pulling the two into a small circle, though making sure not to totally exclude the Sand Siblings, Sakura gave them a look that said it should be obvious before she explained. "Well, think about it; Amaya-hime was thirty weeks when she was confined to the hospital, right?" Naruto and Sasuke nodded to show they were following her so far. "Well, Tsunade-shishou said that after six weeks, she wouldn't try to stop the contractions or labor anymore. Guys, it's been six weeks and six days exactly since Amaya-hime was confined to the hospital and complete bed-rest! She's probably having the baby, or she might have already had it while we were gone!" Suddenly, both boys were bolting in the doors and Sakura was right behind them, beckoning for Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro to follow: Team 7 was supposed to be Gaara's bodyguard unit, along with shifts by the others of the Rookie nine, Temari and Kankuro, and Gai's team, while he was staying in Konoha for the most recent Chûnin exam, which was due to start in two weeks and would last at least two months. Once on the third floor, Naruto demanded to be told the condition of his sister, but the head nurse on duty simply told him that they would all have to go to the maternity floor's family waiting room and await Amaya's nurse or her doctor; one of them would be able to tell him what he wanted to know. Naruto didn't skip a beat, even though Sasuke glared coldly at the young head nurse and effectively frightened the poor woman half out of her wits. As a whole, the six teens went into the waiting room and found Hatori sitting there, glaring at Kurai who was idly resting on his elbows, leaning out the window he'd opened and smoking another cigarette.

"Kurai, you are NOT supposed to smoke on the hospital grounds! They didn't make it against the law just so you could piss people off by doing it anyway!" Hatori was irritably saying as he glared at the Uchiha, who was his junior by seven years.

"Shut the fuck up Hatori, or I'll break your damn jaw." Kurai replied calmly, not even bothering to glance at the older Special Jounin. "I think I have a right to smoke right now, unless you'd prefer my ripping a hole in the roof to relax. And those are your only options: let me smoke and leave me the fuck alone, or keep bitching and let me use you as a punching bag. So, Hatori, which one do you prefer? The one that involves broken bones on your behalf or the one where nobody gets hurt?" Kurai put out the last dregs of his cigarette on the outside of the windowsill and flicked the butt into the air, sending a small spark to incinerate it before it could hit the ground as litter. Hatori opened his mouth to respond, but snapped it shut with an audible click as he opted to give Kurai the dirtiest look he was capable of. Kurai ran a hand through his hair and spotted the respectively indignant and annoyed looks he was getting from Naruto and Sasuke. Chuckling, he turned to face them while leaning his hip against the sill instead of resting all of his weight on his elbows. "I see I've been tailed; I suppose you want to know why I didn't tell you?" Naruto gave an annoyed growl of 'Damn straight!' while Sasuke just kept scowling. "Well, you see what had happened was this: Amaya is not having any complications with the delivery. She went into active labor early this morning and by one o'clock this afternoon, as we were stopping for a break, she had reached seven centimeters and was fully effaced. Right now, I've been banned from the room because I'll short out all the equipment; a walking electricity conduit is not something you want in a hospital room when you are trying to focus on making sure the monitors and machines are working. No electronics or anything else in this room conducts electricity, plus I've been forced to put on this rubber shoes and I can't touch anything without these fucking rubber gloves." Kurai held up his hands, obviously vexed, and Sakura stifled a giggle while Naruto and Sasuke both instantly drained of their annoyance to replace it with sympathy: the shoes and gloves probably were not only aggravating to wear, but most likely a bit embarrassing as well. Add the fact that Kurai doubtless wanted nothing more than to be in the room with Amaya to provide support, but was denied the right to do so because of real or assumed safety issues.

"Kurai, would you like me to go in and bring back a status update?" Sakura asked while placing a kind hand on his arm; Kurai chuckled and said that Tsunade had Tsuchino in with her while Shizune was handling any other cases that would normally merit Tsuchino, Amaya, or even Tsunade. In the event of a true emergency, Tsunade had told Shizune to wait as long as possible before pulling her away from Amaya. This did nothing to assuage Kurai's concerns, but he understood that Tsunade also meant it as a reassurance that she would take the very best care of Amaya. He gave Sakura the best smile he could muster and she easily gained access to Amaya's room: Amaya was the only one actually giving birth at the present, though a few other women had come and gone on false alarms while others who had given birth earlier that day, or a few days previously, were in nearby recovery rooms. When Sakura did not come back after ten minutes, Kurai sighed and decided to get comfortable. Temari asked Gaara if he wanted to stay and the response was that he did, but that he did not expect her or Kankuro to stay if they would prefer to do other things. So, Naruto, Sasuke, Gaara, and Kurai sat waiting with Hatori until the Special Jounin was forced to leave or risk being late for an assignment. At 5:39 p.m. exactly, they heard the loud protesting cry of a newborn and Kurai let out the breath he had unconsciously been holding as Naruto grinned like and idiot. It was not unexpected when Jiraiya walked up to them with the two unknown ninja a second later; Naruto was instantly looking up at the Toad Sannin in obvious puzzlement.

"Ero Sennin, where did you come from?" Jiraiya immediately hit Naruto on the head and told him to stop calling him that. The distraction provided by Jiraiya prevented Naruto and the others from hearing a second set of cries join the first, but Kurai's sensitive hearing, courtesy of the Rokubi, instantly picked it up and determined that there were indeed two separate newborns; a wide smile spread over his face and he chuckled as he leaned back in his seat. After a moment, the others noticed Kurai's amusement, pausing to look at him, and his chuckle quickly escalated into an outright laugh as he let his head hang back on the headrest of his seat. Seconds later, Sakura came out and seemed to be just as unable to stop smiling as Kurai was to stop laughing.

"Kurai, you have a son…" Naruto gave a whoop as he jumped out of his seat; he'd been hoping for a nephew and had told Kurai so. Sasuke smirked but said nothing, intent on watching Kurai's reaction. Kurai was now laughing so hard that he was having to wipe tears from his eyes: he knew that Sakura still had more yet to say. "However, you also have a daughter. The boy came first, at 8 Lbs. 2 oz., and the little girl, weighing 7 Lbs. 11 oz., was born…"

"Mitsuko was born one minute and twenty-six seconds after her big brother." Kurai looked up at Sakura with a chuckle. "I have extremely good hearing, you know…but the reason I'm laughing is because Itachi was born exactly one minute and twenty-six seconds after I was." Shaking his head, Kurai was seemingly talking aloud to himself as he said, "What will she name him? Mitsuko means 'child of light', so she'll probably choose something along the same vein. Hmph…perhaps she'll pick that name…" Standing and still chuckling, Kurai squeezed Sakura's shoulder and silently thanked her as he blatantly ignored the little ban he was under by slipping into the delivery room. Outside, Sakura began to tell Naruto, Sasuke, and Jiraiya all about the babies, either oblivious to or ignoring the two strangers with Jiraiya. Inside the delivery room, however, Kurai was quietly standing just inside the door as he watched Tsuchino clean and weigh one of the twins; since Amaya was already holding one and stroking the soft down that covered the baby's skull, he guess that Tsuchino must have the girl. Tsunade was just finishing up with delivering the afterbirth and quickly cleaned Amaya up, replacing all of the bloodied and stained linens with fresh ones before pulling the blankets back down to cover Amaya. After a moment, Kurai silently came to stand beside Tsuchino, who was closest to him, and gazed down at the little girl who was his in everything but her conception. It was at this point that he was noticed and scolded by Tsunade for having come in so quietly, when he could have come in sooner if he was certain he wouldn't zap anything. Shrugging, Kurai titled his head and smiled as he looked over his new daughter: he had promised Itachi that he would raise her as his, and so he would. Kurai would be 'Daddy' while Itachi would be known to the twins as their 'Uncle Itachi' who had died shortly before they were born.

The girl, whom Kurai knew was to be named Mitsuko, had dark hair like Itachi's and his own, but like most newborns she had blue eyes which might stay blue or they might change as she grew older. She was long, twenty to twenty-two inches if he had to guess, but then Tsunade was saying that though they were nearly a half-pound apart in weight, both of the twins were the same length. Still smiling, he turned and went to Amaya's side, pulling back the edge of the receiving blanket that hid the baby boy from his curious inspections, and he was instantly forced to suppress a laugh as he saw the boy's hair: thick platinum blond down was pressed against the little one's soft skull and like his sister, he had blue eyes that might yet change color, though he was fully expecting one if not both to have eyes like Naruto's or Amaya's. Indeed, he wanted the twins to have eyes like their mother or her family; it would be a nice change from the dark, almost black eyes typical of most Uchihas. He did not yet dare to touch the twins, since he did have a bit of extra charge to burn off, but Kurai placed a delicate kiss on the crown of Amaya's hair as he asked the soft question of what they would name the boy. Amaya blinked at him before smiling softly and looking down at the baby boy she held snuggled close against her breast. "He named her, so it would only be fair to let you name him." Kurai gave her a blank stare for a second as Tsuchino carefully placed Mitsuko in her mother's free arm. Then, Kurai chuckled and did something he would later remember as one of the greatest memories of his life.

"Very well; his name is 'truth'." Cautiously and carefully, Kurai traced one finger down his newborn son's open palm and froze, rock solid, when the small fingers wrapped tightly around his own. "We have Minoru Namikaze and Mitsuko Uchiha; a blond haired Uchiha…my father would never get over this." Kurai murmured as he simply stared at the twins, and was completely oblivious to the smiles and whispers of the three women. What did he care? The truth was that he didn't. He now had a son and a daughter who were his to raise as his own, and he was going to spend some time welcoming them into the world. They would be his truth and his light, guiding him and giving his life purpose just as their mother did. He was now a father, and he was content in the knowledge of his new full-time occupation; he was also amused by the realization that he fully intended to have a child with Amaya at some point in the future, though admittedly it would be his first biological child and her third. However, when one cut it all down to the bare facts, it didn't matter that Mitsuko and Minoru were Itachi's biologically, and not his, for he had lost all choice in the matter as soon as he'd admitted that he loved their mother. Now, seeing them actually here and being able to touch them, he knew he would willingly die for them and their mother; he would be happy to do so, in fact.

"Well, now all that's left is for us to move you to a recovery room, have some forms signed, and to fill out their birth certificates." Tsunade smiled as she watched Kurai, entranced as he was by the two newborns. "You'll have to stay here in the hospital for a week Amaya, since you had such a rough pregnancy and I want to make sure there aren't any lingering effects. If it's alright, I'm going to go talk to Naruto, Jiraiya, and Sasuke while Tsuchino and a nurse will set you up in a recovery room. I'll be back to sign the birth certificates later; now, congratulations and all of those things that go with it." As the female Hokage left to tell the others about the twins, such as the fact that Minoru had blond hair like his uncle Naruto and his grandfather Minato, while Mitsuko was the spitting image of a typical Uchiha newborn with dark hair; both twins had dark blue eyes, which would settle on their permanent color by the time they were eight months to a year old. Admittedly, some babies' eyes changed color to their permanent eye color as early as three months, but one could only be certain after the first birthday that the color was indeed permanent. Kurai had sat on the edge of Amaya's bed and though he had held newborns before, it had been many years since the last time he'd done this and he was out of practice; therefore, he had a small flood of panic fill his chest as Amaya handed him Mitsuko. Sucking in a deep breath and unconsciously holding it, Kurai cradled the delicate little girl in his left arm as Tsuchino pulled a hat over her head to help keep her warm: both twins had hats put on, one lavender and the other a soft blue, as well as being swaddled in warmed receiving blankets after they'd been cleaned up, examined, and diapered. After a moment, Amaya carefully handed Minoru to Kurai, so that he had their son in his right arm and their daughter in his left: he was surprised at how easily he was thinking of them as his, and more so by the ease with which he was able to cradle both at once. Tsuchino then helped Amaya to rise and, following after the two women, Kurai was still smiling as he carried the newborns into the room where they and their mother would spend the first week of their lives.


	12. For Konoha

Author's Note(s): 1 - Someone asked me, so for reference the song(s) I was listen to while writing all of my fics are: Animal I Have Become by Three Days Grace; Listen To Your Heart by D.H.T.; Untouched by The Veronicas; Nagareboshi(Shooting Star), No Rain No Rainbow, & You'll Be Alright by HOME MADE Kazoku; Remember the Name & Where'd You Go? By Fort Minor; Through the Fire and Flames by Dragonforce; So What by Pink; Long Kiss Good Bye by Halcali; Hero's Come Back by nobodyknows+; Blue Bird by Ikimonogakari; Hero[Red Pill Mix] by Superchic[k] Alumni; and lastly Umbrella ft. Jay-Z by Rihanna. All of these songs, respectively, are generally what I listen to anytime I'm writing something, but right now more than a few of these are striking odd chords in the story as I'm writing; this is purely coincidental, but I'm not going to complain because it makes the writing that much more interesting! ;-P

2 - My dates may not be exact, since having the twins born on February 4th, the only month with less than 30 days in it, makes it a bit more difficult to be precise about the date eight weeks later. So, I did some simple math and calculating to say that it is nine days after Amaya's birthday, March 9th, which makes it the eighteenth. I may be off in either direction by a day or three, but just let it slide guys, 'cause it would throw off the plot if you didn't! xo

Text Notations: ¹ - If anyone has ever seen the artwork of the simply extraordinary Lily(who is my personal Goddess if anyone asks ;P) and her depictions of Itachi, then you have a pretty fair example of what Kurai would look like if he let his hair grow back out. Of course, you'd have to add all his scars and tattoos, but you kinda get a representation of him, I suppose. I had not based Kurai off of Lily's Itachi, but rather stumbled onto her amazing artwork after I had already written the first five chapters of KMB, which was the original version of P2K; it was really amazing and creepy to see a version of Itachi that was a very good representation of one of my OCs o.o;;

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Promises to Keep, Chapter Twelve: For Konoha…

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The beginnings of a soft wail from Mitsuko woke Kurai and he groaned as he stretched, rising from his make-shift bed: a cot in Amaya's hospital room. The twins were a little under forty-eight hours old, and so far, none but those who had been in the birthing room and their parents had seen them because Tsunade wanted to keep contact down during the first week, giving their immune systems a chance to strengthen up just a bit before being exposed to various shinobi and other admirers. Stifling a yawn and the urge to crack his neck and back, Kurai checked his daughter's diaper: clean, so that left the options of hungry, just wanting to be held, too hot, or too cold. Murmuring softly to her, he lifted the whimpering baby girl into his arms before gently waking Amaya: she was breastfeeding both of them, and if Mitsuko was waking for a feeding, then Minoru would not be far behind her. It amazed all of the maternity ward's staff that the twins were not even two days old, and their schedules were already synchronized so that both fed and slept at the same time. Amaya had sleepily confessed to Kurai just before the twins had gone down for this latest sleeping session that she had known she was having twins since just before Jiraiya's birthday: Kurai had stared at her, stunned, but not really surprised before he had quietly laughed and kissed her. Now, the still exhausted fire-gold haired new mother instantly came awake and eased herself into the position she was most comfortable feeding the twins in: reclining against the head of the bed and propped up on three or four thick pillows. She took Mitsuko and after a few attempts, smiled as her daughter latched on properly and began to make a piglet out of herself just as her brother began to protest to the emptiness of his own tummy. Kurai chuckled and checked Minoru just as he'd checked Mitsuko moments before to make sure he was clean and dry before giving him to his mother and helping him latch on to feed.

"You know, Rai…we're going to have to see about getting a pump so that you can bottle feed them, too, or I'll never get enough sleep…" Amaya yawned hugely as she let her head fall onto Kurai's shoulder, which was ideally placed as he perched on the bed beside her. It was large enough for them to share if neither of them moved and they slept very close together, but Kurai had declined the offer by saying that if he wasn't comfortable and she was, then he could get up with them without waking her for everything but feedings. Reluctantly, Amaya had caved in and now she was glad that she had: she was not only very sore from the birth, but impossibly tired. If she had to describe it, it would be like having every conceivable injury inflicted on you and then having it healed so quickly that your body only registers the pain, the fatigue, and the soreness without acknowledging anything else in the world. Kurai had then stated that if that was what she felt, then she was feeling like someone who had died and been resuscitated in rapid succession without any of the more adverse side-effects of death: she had then slapped him as hard as she could on the back of his head for being a smart-ass.

"Hmm…yeah, Tsunade-hime said something about my needing to requisition one for you; I'll do that today, since I have to go and make my report to Tsunade about what I found at the old Akatsuki base in Wind Country. I also owe an explanation to Naruto, since I guarantee that that clay transformation you put on them has worn thin by now: soon, he'll know it was you that tampered with his seal and brought them back. All I did was supply the necessary voltage to jumpstart their hearts again and make the deal with Shinigami; you are the one who actually went grave-robbing…well, sort of." Now Kurai chuckled and the deep rumbling of his chest made Amaya relax even more towards sleep; she knew what he meant, but she didn't particularly care about it at the moment since she was dead tired. Yawning again, Kurai put off leaving until after both twins had finished feeding and were replaced in the double bassinet they shared beside Amaya's bed; kissing first both twins on the tops of their heads and then Amaya's cheek as she smiled and drifted back to sleep, Kurai smiled and discreetly made his way out of the maternity ward. Several of the nurses were used to his coming and going by now, since he was an active ANBU elite and that fact was common knowledge to the people of Konoha. Over the past twelve hours, Kurai had been roused from his cot by something or other for Tsunade about five times, excluding this wake-up call and latest visit he was making to Hokage tower. He knew that Tsunade would probably be asleep at her desk, but this was something he needed to discuss with her as soon as possible.

This was going to be a long day, and he was fully aware that the next mission he was sent on might be the one that he did not come back from: after all, Madara was undoubtedly extremely angry at his having turned Sasuke against the Uchiha founder of Konoha. Sighing as he reached the Hokage tower, looking up at the illuminated window of Tsunade's office, Kurai felt more than a little guilty for not telling Amaya that he would probably have to leave the village soon, and that when he did leave, it would be for an unknown, possibly even perpetual, length of time. Here he had married her, and was intent on raising the twins as his own, but he was liable to be away; this meant that she would be raising them by herself, regardless of his desire and promises to stay by her side and actually be a family… At this rate, he might not come back from a mission, since he knew that if Madara got the chance, he would ensnare him with a genjutsu and force him to his will: as the incarnation of the Rokubi, Kurai was essentially the same as the Kyuubi, whom Madara had tamed with genjutsu once before to battle Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage. Should Madara get a hold of him with his Eternal Mangekyou, Kurai would be as good as his slave, and he would doubtlessly be forced to kill indiscriminately, right up until the grand finale of destroying Konoha. Deeply lost in the troubled maze of his thoughts, Kurai was heedless of his feet carrying him into the building and to Tsunade's office door; when he looked up and noticed where he was, he blinked in momentary confusion before mumbling a tired profanity and knocking.

"Enter!" Came the familiar voice of Tsunade and Kurai listlessly did as told, still with his gaze trained on the floor. "Ah, Kurai, you're right on cue; Hatori has just been brought back by two ANBU." Kurai stifled a yawn as he met Tsunade's gaze with an intensely sharp analytical mind hidden behind his groggy and unconcerned façade. It was at this point that he noticed Jiraiya, Kakashi, Yamato, and the two strangers, though their identities were well known to him: the man was a hero to the village, while the woman was a sort of local legend in her own way. Before anyone else could speak, Kurai held up a hand to ask for silence and idly pulled out a cigarette, but did not light it.

"Let me guess, Tsunade-hime…" He said around the cigarette that was now held under his nose; he was deeply breathing in the scent of the tobacco, gaining nicotine without having to actually smoke it thanks to his heightened senses as a 'fused' Jinchuuriki. "He was found out and Akatsuki sent him back here in critical condition, but still alive enough to act as a warning, right?" Tsunade gasped, obviously forgetting precisely who she was speaking with, and Kurai groaned as he cracked his neck: sleeping on that cot was giving him cricks and cramps in various places. "You forget that I was a major link in Akatsuki's more private art of reconnaissance for twelve years; I know how they operate when threatened, and believe me, Naruto, Sasuke, and I are very valid threats as far as they are concerned. They have only three members left out of the original nine; this is of course excluding Orochimaru and counting all of Pein's bodies as one member. That means that Pein, Konan, and the masked idiot known as Tobi are the only ones left: Pein has six bodies that are all uniquely independent, and simultaneously interdependent, of each other as well as his real body. Then we must consider Konan, who is quite trivial next to Pein and Tobi. The real threat lies solely in the man who refers to himself as Tobi: he is not who he claims to be, and he is the real mastermind behind Akatsuki." Everyone else in the room was silent, carefully dealing with the information Kurai provided as if it were arsenic.

"When we were chasing after Itachi…we fought the man called Tobi, didn't we? He wore an orange swirl mask and acted quite the idiot, purposely taunting us and behaving foolishly." Yamato said thoughtfully while Kakashi was lost in thought. After a moment, Kakashi murmured that he had seen that man using Sharingan: Tobi was an Uchiha. Kurai let out a low, rumbling laugh and smiled broadly at Kakashi.

"It would be fitting that you would notice that, Kakashi; yes, Tobi is an Uchiha. However, he is not one to trifle with: not even I dare to cross him without an ace in the hole, or unless I have no other options. Tobi always says that he is a good boy, and is always showing off to fool his opponents and even those who would be his allies: it is all a carefully planned and played game, a ruse if you will." Kurai did light his cigarette now, taking a long drag off of it that reduced almost half of it to ash. Blowing the smoke away from the others before turning to look at them, he addressed the man with Jiraiya that no one recognized. "You knew then, when Kyuubi attacked, didn't you…" He finished the cigarette and crushed it in his palm before raising his eyes, now alive with Sharingan, to gaze at the one man who had the answers he wanted: Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage. "You knew Madara Uchiha was alive, and that he had angered the Kyuubi, provoking it to attack Konoha because this is the home of his clan. To Kyuubi, all Uchihas are mere pawns of a cursed lineage and anywhere they are is an annoyance and a threat to his freedom and power which must be wiped off the map. I admit that part of the responsibility for Naruto's life as it has been is mine, for without the knowledge of Rokubi about sealing Kyuubi, you never would have thought to attempt using that jutsu on the fox; so, part of Naruto's miserable childhood is my fault, since without my knowledge he would not have been made the Kyuubi container. I hope that one day he can forgive me for that, but I also hope that he will understand that it was necessary if Konoha was to survive long enough to be rid of the true danger of Madara."

"You're right, Takeshi-kun; if you had not told me about sealing Kyuubi, I simply would have attempted to find and kill Madara, but then we still would have had to deal with an enraged bijuu." Kurai made a face at his real name and Minato stopped, looking confused. "What is the face for?"

"I haven't been called by that name since I was five years old, Yondaime-sama; it doesn't sit well anymore. Danzo gave me the name 'Kurai' and that's what everyone knows me as now. Hell, Naruto and Sasuke call me Kurai, even though they know my real name: it's just become natural to be called Kurai by now. Takeshi Uchiha died a long time ago; now, I use the name Kurai and I've begrudgingly taken the Uchiha name again, simply because it's better that having 'Rokue' as a last name. Plus, Amaya refused to take that as her last name; it was actually funny, but that's for another day. Right now, I want to know only one thing: will you and Kushina-sama reveal yourselves to Naruto and the rest of the village? If so, tread softly, for you tread on the dreams of many." Kurai now returned his attention to Tsunade. "I did as you asked while the others went to collect Gaara; nothing of that base remains, but I managed to copy the jutsu that summons the King of Hell to hold the extracted bijuu: currently, they have the Ichibi, the Nibi, the Sanbi, the Yonbi, and the Gobi. I hold Rokubi and Amaya holds Shichibi, while Killer Bee, the Hachibi's Jinchuuriki, is currently an unknown: Sasuke was sent to capture him, and he was defeated but Pein was saying that he used a clone to escape. I know Bee personally, so I can fully see how he did this. However, I assume that they've only been leaving us alone because they've been after Bee, and I can't shake this dread that they succeeded if they're now refocusing on Konoha: the last three bijuu are all here, Tsunade."

"I believe you're right Kurai…if Akatsuki has started acting hostile towards us now, five months after Pein nearly demolished the village and was beaten by Naruto, then I fear your assumption about the number of bijuu they possess to be correct. So who do you think they will target next, you or Naruto again?" Tsunade was deadly serious, just as the others who were mutely watching and listening to the exchange between the female Hokage and the Rokubi Incarnate.

"Neither; I think they'll be after Amaya." He said it so harshly and cruelly that Tsunade actually pushed herself back against her chair, trying vainly to distance herself from the sudden murderous intent that poured off of Kurai like a deadly mist. "They were aware of the bonds she had with Itachi and I, since I personally beat the crap out of Orochimaru, damned neared kill him really, when he raped her six years ago; pity I didn't kill him then, but wanting to change the past doesn't help." This was obviously news to several of those present: he knew that Jiraiya had known, but he would have expected Tsunade to know, but she apparently hadn't judging from her reactions. "Madara's reasoning will be simple and brutal: Itachi died recently and that will have caused her a great deal of emotional trauma. Account for my recent hospitalization records as well, and we have a weak link in the chain: I very nearly killed myself on behalf of her. Madara has always known I have a soft spot for her, and you can bet he'll know that she's Naruto's older sister; he'll be counting on the assumption that Naruto has been told who she really is, which he has. By taking her first, he can use her as bait to draw me and Naruto out where he can capture us outright."

"So what are we to do, let him take her?!" This was the first time he had heard Kushina speak since they been brought back a little under a month previously: Kurai had given into Amaya's little plan simply to make sure she didn't hurt herself, and the results were that both Kushina and Minato were now very much alive and well.

"No…we don't let him within the borders of Fire Country. What we do is more passive-aggressive: we offer him a compromise of sorts." Kurai was speaking softly now; he knew that he was once again forfeiting his own life and desires for that of the village, even ignoring the fact that this wasn't a choice he could make single-handedly anymore… No, now he had Amaya and the twins to think about, and as much as he hated it, this was the only way he could think of to make sure they remained safe. "I will go and deal with them myself; at the very least, I can kill Konan before I lose to him, and if I really get a good chance, I can kill the real Pein and, therefore, his bodies. I know I cannot kill Madara." Kurai chuckled as he prepared to activate Hiraishin. "That will be the job of Sasuke and Naruto, but they are not ready to face him…not yet. When they're ready, they'll know it; right now, I ask for only one thing." Tsunade silently prompted him to name it and he smiled a bit sadly. "Tell Amaya that I'm sorry, but it looks like I'm more like Itachi than I thought…tell her that I have to leave her again, but that I _**will**_ come home to her and the twins, I just can't promise her when." Without another word, he was gone and he left the others to admire him for his Will of Fire, and for the loyalty and love he so obviously held for those precious to him. Kurai was truly an Elite shinobi, and as far as everyone present was concerned, he was so very much more than that. So, Kurai disappeared from Konoha and was as one who had died; no one heard from him or saw any signs of him when they tried to trace him. After all, he was not among the best of the best for nothing.

~Eight weeks after Kurai's departure~

Amaya stood at the window in the nursery, ignoring the sound of Iruka as the kind-hearted Ch nin brought her another 'delivery' of groceries. It was raining, much harder than it had the day Kurai had been struck by lightning in the hospital, and it depressed her further. She'd been avoiding her family and friends on purpose, allowing only Iruka into her home, since he lived in the Chûnin compound nearby. The slightly older man had sighed and patiently explained to her that she couldn't simply stay holed up in the house until Kurai came back: it wasn't like anyone had died, after all.

"Sweet Iruka, you really just don't get it…someone has died; the Kurai that all of you knew is no more. He's trapped himself inside of the façade of the perfect assassin. He's going to give himself to Madara to protect me and Naruto: if he gets sealed into the King of Hell, it will unbalance the power and the other bijuu will be released. But to get to that point, he'll have to let Madara start extracting Rokubi from him, and if that happens, he may as well be dead." Iruka could hear her crying even though she refused to meet his eyes. "I've already told Tsunade-sama that I'll teach at the Academy. I've landed a position as an examiner and a proctor in the final part of the Chûnin exam, by some weird twist of fate." Now she gave a slightly hysterical chuckle before whispering hoarsely, "Please go away, Iruka."

"I'll come back and check on you later, ok?" Amaya gave a stifled sob, so Iruka did what she'd asked and left her alone as one of the twins began to pick up on their mother's mood and started crying. Pulling herself together as best she could, Amaya smiled and lifted her daughter into her arms while softly murmuring soothing things. She could feel the chakra signatures of Jiraiya and Naruto, as well as Sasuke and Sakura, long before they actually reached the house, but she couldn't hide from them forever. She could also sense others with the four who always came to check on her, whether singularly, in pairs, or as a group, but she was too preoccupied with changing Mitsuko's diaper to identify all of the signatures she picked up. It was true that Kurai's decision hurt her and depressed her, especially since she had only given birth to the twins two days before he left and was therefore more likely to get post-partum depression, but she also understood his reasoning and accepted that he felt that this was the only way to protect his family and, by the same token, Konoha. Smiling at Mitsuko as she re-fastened the buttons on her daughter's lavender fleece footie, complete with the Uchiha crest on the back, she put her daughter back in the bassinet and set about changing Minoru. After she finished buttoning up her son's footie, which was identical to Mitsuko's save for it's being blue, Amaya easily placed her blonde-haired son in a baby sling on her back and her dark-haired daughter in one across her front. Then, just as she heard a knock on the front door and someone opening it to call up to her, she made her way downstairs and into the kitchen. There she found Sakura putting away the groceries Iruka had brought her while Jiraiya was speaking with two others, whom she knew to be her parents even with the clay disguises she'd put on them. Naruto had been talking to Sasuke, but the instant his sister walked in he rounded on her, smirking in that manner he had that gave warning of an evil idea forming in his mischievous head.

"Oh god…if you're looking at me like that then you're definitely up to something, Naru..." Amaya said as she tried to inch backwards away from her brother. Naruto's mischievous smirk only grew at this and she looked to Sakura and Sasuke, pleading for help from the raven and the rosette; she only got sympathetic looks and a pair of shrugs. "Oh thanks, you two! You're loads of help!" Amaya said crossly as she kept trying to maintain a set distance between herself and Naruto. "Jiraiya-jiisan, what has he got into his head this time?" A last ditch at a lifeline, Amaya pleaded with the white-haired Sannin to help her. She was therefore surprised when Sakura answered.

"He just wants to take you out for your birthday, Amaya-hime… Which was nine days ago, wasn't it? March 9th, the same as Ten-Ten's I believe…" Sakura was only half-paying attention as she was now cleaning out Amaya's fridge of anything that had gone bad, which was sadly a lot as the fiery-gold haired kunoichi was only eating just enough to produce enough milk for the twins and was ignoring all of the foods that Kurai always ate: this meant that she hadn't touched nearly half of the stuff in her fridge or cabinets since Kurai had left eight weeks ago. Amaya suddenly looked defeated as she stopped inching away from Naruto; after a moment, she promptly broke into a fit of half-laughter, half-sobs. All of the teens instantly dropped what they were doing and made faces of extreme worry and/or guilt. "Amaya-hime, what's the matter?" Sakura asked with obvious concern as she gently grasped the older woman's shoulder.

"I…I forgot my own birthday!" Amaya laughed as a few tears slid down her cheeks. "Who in the world forgets their own birthday?!"

"Apparently you." Amaya spun on her heels so quickly that the twins gave soft whimpers of protest as they felt momentarily insecure. Hands over her mouth, Amaya really did start crying as they all saw Kurai standing there, leaning idly against the doorframe with a smirk firmly planted on his lips. "Mind you, I'm probably more than a little responsible for that." He pushed himself off the doorframe as she flung her arms around his neck, being mindful of Mitsuko, crying happily. After giving her a kiss, Kurai wasted no time in taking Mitsuko from her baby sling. "There's my girl…well, Mommy is obviously feeding you well." Kurai blinked, surprised at the change in his daughter's weight over just eight weeks: Mitsuko had started at just under eight pounds while Minoru had been just over eight pounds. Now, if he had to guess, he'd say his daughter's weight had doubled. He also noticed that Mitsuko's eyes were now a paler blue, more like that of her mother, than they had been and that made him smile.

"Kurai, don't you disappear like that without telling me!" Amaya was obviously angry with him, but he understood her reasoning, so he merely sat down in one of the kitchen chairs and let her have at it. "You know I hate people who do that! WHY do you and Itachi just have to make a habit of doing that to me?!" She was saying in an angry rush as she handed him Minoru; he knew that she'd be throwing punches at him if it weren't for the fact that she was now a mother and he was holding the twins. Had the twins not been in the room, she probably would have started swinging already. "I mean I get the whole 'sacrifice thyself to save thy village' thing, but you could have at least left a note, you jerk! Even Itachi had the forethought to leave me a letter, but you just up and vanished, leaving it up to Tsunade-bachan and Jiraiya-jiisan to tell me!" After a moment, she stopped chewing him out and simply stood in front of him, fists planted firmly on her hips while her fiery-gold hair was slowly spilling from its make-shift bun to tumble down onto her shoulders. Kurai sighed before making a Shadow Clone, startling the others at his proficiency with the technique; he had made no signs and his chakra had not given so much as a hint of a spike to indicate he was performing a jutsu. The clone took the twins upstairs without a word, since both had been lulled to sleep by the steady heat that Kurai always gave off, much like an electrical heating blanket.

"Not that I think it will help my case, Amaya-koi, but I did not wish to leave you or the twins. I would not have done so had I thought there were other options; as it stands now, I have pinpointed Pein's location…" Kurai moved so quickly that he startled even Amaya as he pulled her into his lap, thoroughly ignoring the fact that Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, Jiraiya, Minato, and Kushina were still in the room as he shamelessly took advantage of having her sit on his lap. Pressing his forehead against her chest, Kurai murmured something that was only audible and intelligible to Amaya. "In Root, you have no name, no past, no family, no friends, and no future; all that exists is the mission and the task at hand."

"Yes, but you aren't in Root anymore! You don't have to keep fighting this alone!" Amaya was frustrated by his words, since she knew what he meant when he spoke in such a cryptic manner: he was feeling the loss of Itachi far more deeply than he was letting on, and it scared him that he might lose what little bit he had left of his family. For all his strength and power, for all his skill and tactical abilities, his greatest strength was also his greatest weakness. That double-edged sword that gave him both his strength and his Achilles Heel was the very thing he fought so hard to protect: it was those who were precious to him. Firmly holding his face in her hands, she forced him to look at her. "You killed the clan to protect the lives of the innocents who would die if the coup d'état was initiated: by killing the clan, you and Itachi saved the lives of countless innocents who would have otherwise died. Itachi took the fall, saying that he acted alone, and all of the files are well above Jounin level classification: only the Hokage and the council can access those files, and only with strict permission. Itachi told me the truth, Kurai; you can't hide it from me." Amaya gently stroked his hair as she smiled softly. "It wasn't Itachi that killed your parents, but you. You used a henge to look like Itachi and then you let him be the one to talk to Sasuke, since he had never know you; it was so flawlessly executed that no one ever knew the difference when you and Itachi switched places in the blink of an eye. You never expected to have to explain yourself to him eight years later, did you?"

Kurai sighed and shook his head while glancing at his baby brother, whose mouth was working furiously to form words that just wouldn't come. "Itachi only ever killed Shisui, Sasuke…and that was only because I could not do that for him; it was something he had to do for himself, regardless of how much I wished to protect him from it. I met Madara long before Itachi ever did…two years before to be precise. I attempted to warn the Third, but he misunderstood my messages and in the end, negotiations between the family and the Council failed. Itachi took all the blame and was disgraced, just as he wanted, to become a missing nin and an S-rank criminal, while I resumed my mission to keep an eye on Orochimaru; luckily, I was able to fulfill that mission without actually leaving Akatsuki when that bastard snake did. But enough of the past: I came to give my report on what I've found in the here and now." Amaya blinked from her perch on his lap, giving him a concerned stare before catching his chin and once again forcing him to look her in the eye.

"Kurai…have you used that technique?" She asked softly and her voice held a certain edge of danger in it. "The one that Itachi and I made you swear to never use again?" Kurai gave a low warning growl, but it was not a threatening one and Amaya easily ignored him. "Answer me, damn it! Something is different about your eyes…the color is dulled somehow…" Amaya was frantically searching his eyes and expression for any telltale sign to indicate his thoughts, and the reason for his unspoken warning. Finally, Kurai gave a low sigh that held more than a bit of an annoyed growl in it.

"Yes, I used it; I would have been ensnared in Madara's genjutsu if I had not done so. I never use Deity's Judgment unless I have to, but I was forced to play my aces and was still coming up short…" Kurai actually gave a low snarl as memories of his recent encounter with the last members of Akatsuki danced in his head. "Like I said, I've pinpointed Pein's location…and Madara is very upset about that. So upset in fact, that he sacrificed Konan to try and capture me before I could tattle; let me tell you, that bitch gives a nasty paper cut." It was at this point that Amaya noticed a bloodstain on Kurai's back and she gave a snarl of her own as she physically spun him around in his chair and pulled his shirt up to reveal hasty bandages over multiple lacerations: many had already healed, but a few were still nasty and looked as if they were at risk of becoming infected.

"Kurai Takeshi Uchiha, when will you learn how to fucking dodge?!" Amaya hissed at him as he smiled at her fine display of her classic flash fire temper.

"It is not a matter of not knowing how to dodge, Amaya-koi, but merely a matter of 'is it more conservative for me to dodge or just heal the injuries that will result if I don't?'. Surely you understand that I heal even faster than Naruto does with his three-tailed demon cloak, so I generally can take the blow and not have to worry about it. As it is, these will be healed by morning." Kurai shrugged and didn't even flinch as the simple action pulled angrily at his injuries. "I found the real Pein…I found Nagato, and that pisses Madara off to no end. Suffice to say that Konan will not be bothering us again, for what better way to dispose of useless papers than to incinerate them?"

"Amaterasu…that would account for the dulled look of your eyes, then. Tell me, Kurai, just how bad is your eyesight now? Can you even see me clearly, standing right in front of your face?" Amaya asked in a clipped and annoyed tone to which Kurai's response was a full-throated laugh.

"I see the world, Amaya…just not the same as you do. For me, the world is made up of sounds, smells, tastes, textures, and what the Sharingan can show me. I do not rely on it as Itachi did, because I do not need to see to kill those who would harm what is precious to me, and I do not need to see the world to appreciate the beauty of it. Simply put, the answer is that I can't really see anything but dulled colors and hazy outlines. Before long, my world will be completely dark. I limit the use of Tsukuyomi, Amaterasu, and Susano'o, just as Itachi did, but my Deity's Judgment is like using all three at once, such is the toll it takes on me…" Kurai smiled as he looked to where he could smell the scent of Sasuke, who had come to stand beside Amaya as if he'd just been shown the most interesting thing in the world. "And I have used Deity's Judgment four times, which appears to have been three too many; my vision began to fade within hours after the first use, when I was naught but eleven. Truthfully, I have been all but blind for quite some time, more so than even Itachi. Had I wished it, I could have transplanted Itachi's eyes after his death, since Sasuke refused them, but somehow I didn't even consider the notion to be a valid option. What good is the gift of sight when it comes at such a cost as that? No, I instead concentrated a vast majority of Rokubi's healing chakra into my eyes, giving me the ability to hear sounds and use it like radar to form an image based off those sounds. As I said, I see the world: I simply see it differently than you do."

The rest of the conversation lasted long into the night, and they never did take Amaya out for her birthday. Kurai had killed Konan, found Pein's real body, and fought with and escaped from Madara; then, he had returned to Konoha solely for the purpose of reporting his findings to Tsunade and informing those he wished to know about what he'd discovered. After the talking had ended, which included Amaya removing the clay disguises she'd been holding on her parents and the resulting chaos, everyone left. Amaya and Kurai checked on the twins before retiring to bed; as Amaya watched Kurai pull his shirt up over his head, she frowned affectionately while shaking her head in exasperation. It seemed that he truly never would dodge anything that he didn't warrant worthy of the energy required to avoid injuries when his body could heal most anything naturally; unless it was something that he knew would not be worth the pain or he couldn't heal, she could not recall ever having seen him dodge just because it made sense to avoid any and all injuries possible. Continuing to strip off his mission torn and stained clothes, he knew she was watching him…just as she knew when he paused to watch her slip out of the simple long skirt and shirt she'd been wearing, leaving her almost completely bare to his appreciative gaze.

~The next morning~

When Amaya awoke, it was to find Kurai gone while a simple note, etched into a piece of metal, lay on the pillow where his head had been, and it read:

Amaya-koi,

I'm sorry for leaving you again, but it is a duty that I must perform. I cannot kill Madara, but I can kill Pein and all of his bodies. Madara will be a hurdle that Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura will have to overcome when they are ready, but for now I can stall him and force my hand against him by wiping out the last and most important of his pawns. I admit that I might not be able to come back from this one for a very long time; please don't be cross with me about it, for I like it even less than you do. Here I have taken the twins as my own, and promised to raise and love them as my own, but I will not be around to watch them grow and learn. It pains me to no end to realize that I may not be back for several months, if not longer, but as I said, I can think of no better solutions. Simply know that regardless of how great the distance between us, I love you and will always be by your side; I will always come back to you as long as I have the ability to do so. May all the powers that be have pity on anyone who tries to prevent me from returning to you, because I will kill if it will bring me back to you and the twins. You and the twins are my Heaven and my Earth; without the three of you, I have nothing, not even my Will of Fire. So I say only this: stay hidden and stay safe, for I will be coming home as soon as I am able.

† Kurai †

Sighing as she read the note, Amaya knew full well that Kurai meant every word he'd etched into the metal, and now she realized more than ever that all of the previous notes from him had not been written in his own hand, but by Itachi. This style of writing, though probably etched by chakra, was truly Kurai's own: she'd seen him write things when she was younger and before he'd truly begun to lose his sight, and now that she reflected on it she realized that his handwriting, though holding some similarities to Itachi's, was very distinctive indeed. Truthfully, Kurai did look very much like Itachi; he just kept his hair short and had less distinctive worry lines than Itachi did. When Kurai allowed his hair to grow long and styled it the way Itachi did, while activating his Sharingan, it was very hard to tell them apart indeed. The twin brothers were so very similar, and yet they were indescribably different. Sighing, she decided that she would finally get back to business as she rose to get dressed. Today, she would leave the twins with Sumomo and then she would begin to train: if she was the final exam proctor for the current Chûnin exam, well then she was going to need it. Tsunade had told her that the details of the fourth and final exam were classified, having been kept from the participants who were even now preparing for the third exam that was to begin the next day. The first three exams were similar to the exam that Naruto and the others his age had first taken, when Shikamaru had become a Chûnin, but the added fourth exam was a new twist that had been added at Kurai's suggestion because of the recent attack by Pein and Akatsuki: the fourth test would be a one on one fight with Amaya, one of the highest ranking Jounin Konoha had to offer. If the genin could survive more than twenty minutes against her and land a minimum of five blows, then they could be fairly confident in their abilities. However, the same rules applied as in all Chûnin exams: just because you defeat your opponent does not automatically mean you will get promoted to Chûnin, for it takes more than just strength and ability to be a team leader.

After she had dropped the twins of with Sumomo, Amaya quickly and silently made her way towards training ground three. She would be training with the same weights she would wear during the exam, so that her speed would be reduced to give the genin a more even platform against her. In her entire life, only her father, Kurai, and Itachi had been able to keep a moderately even pace with her; whether they were ahead of her or not was a different story. Her father had always been faster than her, as had Kurai, but she had taken a certain level of pleasure in always trumping Itachi in terms of speed. When she reached the training grounds, the sun was only just barely rising over the treetops and the area was deserted. Smiling as she shed her white and fire-gold overcoat that Kurai and Itachi had given her, she used a simple senbon to wrap and secure her hair into a tight bun at the back of her skull. Once she was left in naught but her white jumpsuit, detailed with fiery-gold flames on the hems of the lags and sleeves, and recently emblazoned with the Uchiha crest between her shoulder blades while the crests of the Uzumaki and Namikaze families adorned the sleeves just below her shoulders, Amaya strapped the weights about her ankles and adjusted a weighted flak jacket over her jumpsuit. Taking in a deep and centering breath, she closed her eyes and listened to her surroundings for any sign of her target: a mineral clone she'd made of Itachi, imbued with some of the deceased Uchiha's personality and all of his fighting style. She was no longer bound to Kurai's chakra while the seal repressed her own, as the seal he'd placed on her had faded and then vanished a week after the twins' birth. She was now free to manipulate the very essence of the world around her, for everything was essentially made up of the same things that constituted the molecular make-up of dirt, just in various levels to generate various forms of matter and organisms. Extending the slightest touch of her chakra into the earth through the soles of her feet, she instantly found her target, perched in a tree some fifty yards from her present location.

By this same token, she was also made aware that Teams 7, 8, 10, as well as Team Gai and Team Ebisu, were all heading towards her location; it would seem that she was not the only one who intended to use the ideal weather they were supposed to get today for training opportunities. Vaguely, she registered that there were four others farther off, but still heading in her general direction. She recognized one as Jiraiya and another as her father, so she assumed that Tsunade was among them and intended to discuss the rules and limitations that would be imposed during the fourth test of the Chûnin exam. Well, let some of them get a preview of what she could do then: she knew that Naruto and Sasuke, though they would pass easy, were taking the exam this time as well as Konohamaru and his team. Naruto and Sasuke had been paired with a younger genin whose original team had not wanted to participate, but the girl had been beaten in the first round of the third test a little over three weeks previously. Normally, such exchanges and substitutions to genin teams were not allowed for the exams, but Naruto and Sasuke presented the perfect opportunity for an exception. Team Eagle was also taking the exam and they had all made it to the final exam, which was precisely what Tsunade and Amaya had expected of them to be truthful. Smiling to herself, Amaya decided to send a shadow clone to flush her Itachi-clone out, for she was best with genjutsu and ninjutsu; while her taijutsu was not something to trifle with either, her true forte was her adaptation of Hiraishin, her Shunshin, her genjutsu, and her Mineral jutsu. She wanted to draw the clone out into the open and engage him in a genjutsu battle first, and then she would begin to strike with ninjutsu. If all else failed, she'd ditch her weights and go at him with taijutsu. Hopefully, she would find a sparring partner from among the Chûnin, and Jounin respectively, that were coming towards the training ground.

Just as Naruto and the others came into hearing range, her shadow clone crashed into the ground while grappling with the mineral clone of Itachi. Her shadow clone then promptly vanished even as she sensed the teams of teenagers, each with their respective sensei or team leader, come into viewing range. As the clone vanished, Amaya used a Shunshin to dive in next to the mineral clone of Itachi and struck him full on with a hard blow to the jaw, sending him skidding several feet to the east of her. To activate a genjutsu, you had to form a connection with the mind of your opponent and there were only six ways to do this: by sight, scent, sound, taste, touch, or by a chakra connection. Amaya was a specialist in scent, sight, and sound connections, but this time she had opted for a physical connection, since she was more than proficient in all six methods; by punching the Itachi-clone in the jaw, the pain stimulus had formed a connection to his mind. She then followed-up the physical attack by planting the basis for her genjutsu: she changed nothing about their current surroundings, leaving him in a mirror image of where reality ended and genjutsu began. This time she chose to use the illusion of her demi-anchor, a pack of seven small fiery-gold foxes, being summoned like Naruto's toads to rip him to shreds with their finely-pointed, sharp edged claws and fangs. She forced her brain not to register the sound of his pained scream as the genjutsu killed him, instead focusing on putting a bit of distance between them while the illusion lasted. As the Itachi-clone recovered from the genjutsu, he sent a barrage of kunai and shuriken raining towards her. Slamming her open palms down onto the ground, she called up a wall of earth to block and left behind a clay husk of herself as the Itachi-clone appeared behind her, slicing clean through her throat with a kunai only to have her clone explode upon contact. Landing a few yards apart, the two faced each other and smiled: it was the Itachi-clone versus its creator, Amaya. Never would the clone live up to the real Itachi, but it was a decent enough copy to present a sporting challenge and that would just have to be enough.

"You've improved Amaya-hime…" She smirked as the Itachi-clone spoke to her in such a casual manner; truly, this was one of the best ones she'd ever made of him, but it was still a fake. "However, you have yet to show me what you are truly capable of." Oh, but this one was definitely good at attempting to bait her into attacking thoughtlessly. Perhaps she'd used just a bit too much of Kurai's recent effects on her when making this one, for he was far more obnoxious that Itachi had ever been. Curling one corner of her mouth up in a mocking sneer, Amaya formed more than a dozen hand signs in a matter of seconds; she saw comprehension in the clone's eyes even as he tried to duck out of the way as Amaya took a deep breath before launching a massive fireball at him. When the flames dissipated, all that was to be seen was Itachi and his smoldering Akatsuki cloak as the weighted vest and boots that Amaya had been wearing hit the ground, leaving a rather large and deep hole upon impact with the solid ground. The Itachi-clone quickly and covertly scanned the area for her but was too slow: Amaya came down from above and behind him, pulling her giant chakram around to slice him diagonally across the shoulders and spine. Ravens dispersed into the air where the clone had been and the Itachi-clone was behind her, aiming for her throat again even as she disappeared into thin air with naught but a flash of her fiery-gold hair in the sunlight. This standoff continued for nearly ten more minutes, with only glimpses and flashes of Amaya being seen by the group that had happened upon her training and become awestruck spectators. They could see Itachi a bit more readily, but he was also moving insanely fast: this Itachi-clone was what Amaya knew he was capable of in his peak. She'd made him exactly as he'd been before he became ill and was wounded by Kurai's poisonous black chakra; this was the true power of Itachi Uchiha as it should have been, rather than how it was, when he fought Sasuke. The contest of speed ended as Amaya and the clone made the same move, each landing a fierce blow to the other even as they launched a genjutsu at each other. The one with the stronger connection and more realistic illusion would be the victor. To the group watching, they simply staggered backwards from each other, their bodies heaving with the efforts of drawing in much needed air.

In their minds, however, the training ground had vanished to be replaced with total darkness. It was suffocating, but Amaya knew that she could easily pierce this illusion; she froze, however, as the red full moon came out from behind dark clouds, illuminating the landscape as that of the night Kyuubi attacked. She saw them as they began to die, civilians and shinobi alike, and she forced herself not to scream as she held on tightly to the image of her true anchor: a large seven-tailed vixen that was blood red with black tipped tails, paws, and ears. She had modeled her anchor as a smaller version of Shichibi's true form, and it worked extremely well for her. Using her anchor to steady herself, an idea came to Amaya's mind as she formed a new genjutsu. She allowed the Itachi-clone to see her fall to the ground, comatose, and believe it had achieved victory before presenting him with the illusion of Shichibi taking control of her body and reverting to her true bijuu form. The massive seven-tailed vixen then launched at the clone and caught him as he tried to dodge the attack, grasping him in her powerful jaws. One sickening crunch later and the clone was paralyzed as the Shichibi swallowed him whole. The connection broke as the clone vanished from the overload of Amaya's genjutsu, and she smiled as she allowed herself to relax: that had been a very good training session, indeed. Taking several deep breaths, Amaya briefly closed her eyes before turning to face the teens and others who'd been watching her 'training' as if it were going to decide the fate of the entire world.

"It really couldn't have been that impressive to watch." She said teasingly, snapping them all out of the trance-like stares they'd been directing at her and the Itachi-clone. "I merely created a mineral clone of someone whom I knew could give me a worthy sparring match. Alas, I cannot make a perfect training partner, but these clones are actually quite good when you hardwire their neural systems correctly. That was merely a copy of Itachi, and yet it gave me a challenge almost worthy of the real thing. It could even use Tsukuyomi this time, and I've never seen a clone or a copy that could use a bloodline limit to such extent without actually having some of the real person's chakra." Amaya grabbed her weights as she idly walked over to the group, ignoring the fact that many of the teens were openly gaping at her as if she had suddenly sprouted horns, fangs, talons, and a set of wings. Kakashi, Yamato, Gai, Ebisu, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Minato, and Kushina were simple giving her looks of admiration and approval as she dropped the weights by a tree trunk near the large group. "Hey, Naruto, do you still want me to teach you that technique I promised you back in Kumo?"

"You bet!" Naruto exclaimed much to the chagrin of his friends and teammates, who were all standing close enough to him that his excited shout hurt their ears. "So what is it? A cool new ninjutsu? A taijutsu combo? C'mon, onéchan, tell me!" Amaya sighed and shook her head in fond exasperation.

"Slow down Naruto! I wasn't finished speaking yet!" She affectionately scolded him as she reached up and ruffled his hair; he was not taller than her yet, but he soon would be at this rate when one considered that she was only five foot six at her full height and he was already five foot five at only sixteen. "Now, I was intending to teach you Hiraishin, but I think that Otousan should be the one to teach you that now that they're home and all. So, do you want Otousan to teach you?" She really didn't have to ask and everyone knew it; Naruto's answer was a jubilant 'YES!' as he gave his father, the Fourth Hokage, the most adorably expectant look Amaya could imagine on her younger brother's face. Shaking her head and smiling, Amaya turned her attention to Sasuke. "You do realize that none of us will ever be able to outrun him again, right?" She saw the younger Uchiha survivor give a shudder, obviously thinking the same as her: if Naruto had known the Hiraishin almost four years ago, or even a little over a year ago, then Sasuke never would have gone to Orochimaru and Itachi might still have been alive to see the birth of Mitsuko and Minoru. Laughing at the suppressed groan Sasuke made, Amaya placed a comforting hand on his shoulder as she spoke again. "If it's any consolation, I've never been able to hide from Kurai and neither have you; he's always known where each of us was at any given time. Sometimes I think Kurai has a crystal ball like Sandaime-sama's; it's kind of scary, really." Turning her attention to Tsunade, for the Hokage was indeed among the group of twenty-odd shinobi who'd stumbled upon her training, Amaya voiced her thoughts; whether the group had found her by accident or on purpose was of no consequence. "I assume that you wished to discuss my role in the final part of the Chûnin exams with me, or am I mistaken Tsunade-bachan?"

"You're as sharp as always, Amaya-chan." Tsunade smiled as the group took the signal to disperse and go about their own business. "As you may have already deduced, there will be no fatalities allowed unless it is accidental, and even those will be investigated with the utmost diligence. You will be our mole, so to speak, gaining information and a personal feel for any competitors; you knew Kurai was the one who took them in the Forest of Death, correct? Well, he made shadow clones to tail each and every competitor, and he's left a few notes on some of them who have advanced to the final round." Amaya nodded to show that she understood; some of the genin who were competing this time could be enemies infiltrating the village, just as Orochimaru had done several years previously to get at the Third and Sasuke. "You are not to use lethal force on any of them unless you are confident in their abilities to combat your strength or of their intent to cause harm to you or another Leaf, understood?" Again, Amaya nodded to indicate that she took her Hokage's words with all due seriousness. "Now, about the techniques you are not to use, except under emergency circumstances…" Tsunade paused, smiling at the younger woman. "Do not use Hiraishin, Rasengan, or whatever genjutsu you just used on that clone of yours. Stick mainly to the basics, but I will allow you to spice it up with some of your less lethal personal effects. And none of your mineral clones unless yo absolutely have to; stick to regular clones or shadow clones, or any type of basic to Jounin-level substitution for that matter. I want you to act like a normal Jounin, but with a bit more pain for the punch."

"So basically, act like Asuma-sensei; he was a high-ranking Jounin, but he was also formerly one of the Twelve Elite Guardians, and as such he was more than just a Jounin of Konoha." Tsunade smiled and said that Amaya had the right idea; Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji had noticed when she'd their deceased sensei, however, and began asking probing questions. Finally, Amaya tossed her hands in the air and gave an exasperated sigh. "If the three of you absolutely must know, Asuma-sama was my sensei for the six months I was a genin. I graduated from the Academy when I was ten and six months later I was held for ransom after being captured by the early stages of what is the Akatsuki all of you have seen in more recent times. Back then it was Kurai, Orochimaru, Konan, Zetsu, Itachi, Kisame, Kakuzu, Sasori, Deidara, and Pein. Hidan and Tobi hadn't joined yet…though technically Tobi is Madara and has always been pulling the strings of Akatsuki from the shadows, so I suppose he was there even then; he just didn't letting on to his presence. After Orochimaru…left, Kurai wouldn't train me anymore so Pein gave me to Itachi instead. I'll admit that Dei, Sasori, Kakuzu, and Hidan weren't really so bad; at least the four of them were relatively kind to me." Amaya chuckled as she allowed a few fond memories of the master puppeteer and the mad bomber to trickle through her mind along with glimpses of Hidan and Kakuzu always bickering about something or other. She actually _missed_ them, and she knew that she could easily strike a deal with Nibi, who owed several favors to Shichibi, should the cat-bijuu ever be in a position to bargain with her again. Sighing yet again, Amaya declined to say anything else as she took her silent leave from the training ground, unable to concentrate on preparing for the Chûnin exam anymore.


	13. To Hell & Back Again

Here is the next installment! *dances* For reference, the reason I keep doing P2K is because I have a reader who posts a review each chapter on (queenofspades19, I love you!!), while I do not have that for any other story, either here or on DA. The point of this is simple: if I get reviews, I have more inspiration, and an incentive, to write because I'm getting feedback. This means if you want me to work on other stories, you should leave reviews/comments and tell me so!!

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**WARNING!!** There is a lemon (more like shameless smut really… ^^; ) in this chapter, so if you wish to skip it, I have put the appropriate warning within the text. Thank you and enjoy! Also, please don't forget to comment.

¹ - Kyouran no Hyakkiyagyou - yes, I realize that this might not be a correct or even plausible name, but there it is anyway. As for my translation, it is probably not correct but I did try and I did look up the words, so I at least know that 'kyouran' is 'fury' and that 'hyakkiyagyou' is 'pandemonium'. So, please excuse me if the name(s) are wrong or incorrectly translated.

² - Koishii means 'darling' while Koibito means 'lover' or 'sweetheart'. Koi just means 'love' and can be added to a name, such as Amaya-koi. Here, you'll see Kurai use Koishii as a nickname for Amaya while she calls him Koibito or just plain 'lover'.

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Promises to Keep, Chapter Thirteen: To Hell & Back Again

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Kurai continued to lie perfectly still in his hiding place, knowing that to move was to risk Pein discovering his location: he had been staked outside of Nagato's hideout for a little over a month. However, it was not the Rinnegan user that truly concerned him. No, he was far more concerned with the one who would come running to capture him if Pein sounded the alert: Madara Uchiha, sole master of the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan and one-time tamer of Kyuubi no Kitsune. Indeed, Kurai would much rather not fight Pein and risk having to face his clan's founder. Instead, he was intending to lie in wait, patiently anticipating a time when the six paths of Pein would be alone with his true body so that he could kill the Akatsuki member once and for all. For that to happen, however, he had to wait for Madara to either send Pein out on a mission or for the masked Uchiha to depart from the Rinnegan user's company himself. Currently, neither of these occurrences seemed likely to take place in Kurai's mind, and he was becoming extremely cross with the results this held for his own situation. Nothing would please the Rokubi Incarnate more than to kill the last remaining members of Akatsuki, go home to his wife and kids, and be done with the whole damn mess! Unfortunately, Tobi/Madara and Pein were doing all the things he wished they wouldn't, such as sticking to each other like Siamese twins.

Giving an inaudible growl, he narrowed his eyes as the silhouette of the real body of Pein, Nagato, appeared in the furthest reaches of his peripheral vision, below and to the right of his hiding place. He knew that he could attack and kill all of Pein's bodies, real or controlled, at any time, but he was hesitating out of a certain level of wariness and respect for Madara and the power the older Uchiha held. He had no guarantee that Madara would not be able to control him with genjutsu, since even normal people could be held under the influence of illusions: rather than chancing it, Kurai was keeping an extremely cautious and respectful distance from his relative. After all, the last thing he wanted was for Madara to ensnare him with genjutsu only to force him to massacre whatever the twisted bastard wanted before extracting Rokubi, and thereby killing Kurai; quite reasonably, Rokubi would perish if extracted just as surely as his human half. Suffice to say, that was NOT something Kurai was eager to even contemplate at this point. Frowning to himself, he presented a personal query to the unusually subdued consciousness of the Rokubi. :_**Akuma, would it be possible for us to defeat that masked one as we are now? Could we kill Madara even if we never fight Pein?**_:

:_**No; that one is the source of your clan's curse, and not even as we are could we hope to kill him without backup.**_: Was all the response he got from the irritable wolf bijuu. For the first time in his life, Kurai chose to ignore the words and, more often than not, wiser judgment of his other half as he slipped away from his hiding place. :_**Cublet…!**_: Came the warning snarl of the Rokubi's consciousness, but it was lost on the bijuu's host as he struck, felling Pein's Hell Realm and Hungry Ghost Realm with two well-placed, devastating blows. :_Now he cannot revive his dead bodies or absorb my attacks; I've removed two critical pieces from the board in a matter of seconds._: Kurai used a Shunshin and struck again, knowing full well that Nagato was watching and could easily jump in at any time. However, the other Peins knew he was there now and were not about to sit back and let him win without putting up a fight. As Animal Realm began summoning a beast to fight him, Kurai smirked and didn't skip a beat as he summoned Naga, the son of Manda and now the greatest of all snake summons since his father's untimely demise. The massive anaconda came flying from the smoke of his summoning, fangs bared and already on the offensive; he and Kurai were long time battle partners, and they had grown to understand each other flawlessly over the years. However, when the Rokubi's consciousness had the ability to speak with the snake directly, it gave Kurai the even greater advantage of being able to communicate on a personal and private level with his summons at all times. The snake collided with Pein's summons and quickly sunk his fangs deep into the flesh of the other animal as he coiled about its chest, crushing its entire body in mere seconds. Leaping over the snake's tail, Kurai shifted to his one-tailed bijuu form and landed on top of Animal Realm as the slight female body gave a series of sickening cracks from the force and weight of the large wolf's impact. Not pausing to allow Animal Realm to gain any purchase or regain her abilities, Kurai brought his lupine jaws down on the girl's throat before viciously tearing out the soft tissue with a horrid crack as he snapped several vertebrae away from her neck and spine.

Still in his one-tailed form, Kurai snarled menacingly as he turned to face the four remaining bodies of Pein: the real one, God Realm, Human Realm, and Demon Realm. Still with the flesh and bones of Animal Realm in his jaws, Kurai pulled back his lupine lips in a vicious snarl before snapping his jaws at them while a second tail sprouted in chakra, slowly solidifying into the true second tail of his two-tailed bijuu form. Once the fourth tail sprouted, the size of his wolf body would re-double, bringing him to ¾ of the Rokubi's true size. When the fifth tail had appeared and the sixth started to, then he would reach the Rokubi's true size and he would be able to level the surrounding landscape with a simple discharge of electricity. Kurai could see Nagato's slight concern, since he could not use Hell Realm's abilities to revive his fallen bodies. The Rokubi Incarnate was momentarily distracted from his quarry as Tobi raced in towards him: he could sense the clone instantly and roared at it, giving off a violent electric pulse that destroyed the clone instantaneously. So, Madara had only been keeping a clone with Pein…well, the real one would no doubt be along soon enough if even a portion of the unfolding battle was relayed to him via his clone. Snarling again before loosing a deafening howl of rage, Kurai launched at Nagato, the real body of Pein; the man made an attempt to dodge, but was captured in the coils of Naga's body as Kurai reverted to his normal human form and allowed the electricity in the air and surrounding landscape to channel into his body, mixing with his chakra and forming his personal ninjutsu, Pandemonium's Fury. Discharging the entire force of his jutsu into Nagato's body as he collided with the older man, Kurai felt Naga release them and a strange sensation as he was bathed in the other's blood; the sheer potency of the jutsu, which was absorbed into the opponent's body and then looked for an outing. This was simply the nature of electricity and was true of anyone who'd ever been electrocuted: the foreign power surged through the body and if no exit was available, the electric current would force one into existence. Nagato's body had not presented an exit quickly enough for the sheer amount of electricity that Kurai had forced into him, so the body had been virtually vaporized from the waist down when the current tried to find an opening to escape. This left only Nagato's torso and upper body with a bleeding stump of carnage where his waist, hips, and leg had been; as Nagato died, Kurai felt the other bodies drain of the force keeping them alive as well.

"Kill the root, kill the tree." Kurai murmured as he felt his body quake with the sudden loss of so much chakra; Madara had still not arrived, but it would only be a matter of seconds if Kurai was any judge. Smirking, he realized that Pein had gotten in a number of blows to his adversary; Kurai's own body was once again covered in nasty lacerations and his throat was badly damaged from where Nagato had clamped a hand down and exerted an unheard of amount of pressure in an attempt to keep Kurai from releasing his jutsu. :_I've got to get out of here…_: He thought hazily as the dizziness of losing so much chakra and the increasing blood loss got to his head. :_**Akuma…we're doing a reverse summoning. We still have enough chakra for that right?**_:

:_**We do not!**_: The Wolf's consciousness snapped savagely, annoyed that Kurai had disobeyed him; before Kurai could retort, Naga offered a solution.

'**Perhaps if you were to climb inside my body, Kurai, then when I return to my home, you would go beyond the masked one's reach. I could then perform a reverse summoning to Konoha after you have healed.'** Kurai considered Naga's offer, but since he didn't really have any other options, he did as the snake suggested.

"Very well Naga, but we haven't got time to wait for me to heal. Just do a reverse summoning to Konoha as soon as I get inside your mouth." The snake was not pleased that his master would not wait to heal, but could not disobey him; so, Kurai climb into the giant anaconda's mouth, beaten and bloody, only for them to vanish in a cloud of smoke. When Madara arrived at the scene of the battle a scant two minutes later, he was furious beyond all reason as he cursed the very day Kurai had been conceived.

~Meanwhile, in Konoha~

As Amaya fought one after another of the Chûnin candidates, she couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy; it was almost as if something was very wrong, and yet she knew that nothing was. As the last battle rolled around, she was surprised when Tsunade stood and signaled for silence. Frowning slightly, Amaya patiently waited for her Hokage to speak; Tsunade did not disappoint her.

"There remain only two genin who have yet to face our proctor, who is also acting as the challenge which the genin must overcome, yet I have only just realized that we have not introduced her!" Amaya felt a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach; she was only wearing a pair of flare pants and a corset-like tank-top. Although her current outfit was merely an edited version of the jumpsuit Kurai and Itachi had given her for being promoted to Jounin, being white with fiery-gold flames on the hem of the pants and along the bottom edge of the tank-top, it did not bear her nickname or any symbols to link her to any clan or family. She would get Tsunade back for this later, she decided as she saw Naruto and Sasuke enter the ring: perhaps she would have to fight them at the same time, since they were by far the most skilled of any of the genin to take the exam this time round. "I present our proctor, Amaya Namikaze, Konoha's Golden Flashfire. Now she will test two genin at once, since both have demonstrated Jounin level abilities in the past. They are to be tested individually, but they may cooperate as they see fit to defeat Namikaze-san. These genin are none other than Konoha's own Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki." Tsunade smiled widely, obviously enjoying the headache she was doubtless giving Amaya, who smiled sarcastically at the female Hokage and signaled the threat 'I'll get you later.' to the older woman. Sighing, she returned her attention to her brothers, for Sasuke was her now brother in everything but blood.

"Sasuke, Naruto, come at me with everything you have! Show me your teamwork and don't hold back because holding back on the real battlefield can get you killed!" Amaya said with a smile as she wisely removed the weighted training bands from her ankles, wrists, and waist. None of the previous competitors had been fast enough to keep up with her even wearing two hundred pounds of extra weight, but she knew that she would need all of her speed to keep these two on the field long enough to pass the test. If she didn't take the weights off, they were likely to land an unreasonable number of blows on her well before the twenty minutes was up. So, in the interest of reducing the number of bruises and injuries she'd sustain, Amaya let the weights hit the ground even as the signal to begin was given. She knew that her parents were watching from the stands with all of Naruto and Sasuke's friends, as well as Kakashi, Jiraiya, Yamato, and other Jounins or higher ranking shinobi. Smirking, both teens did exactly as she'd told them by coming at her with everything they had. At first, it was simply a battle of projectiles as Sasuke launched an obscene number of kunai, shuriken, and senbon in her direction even as Naruto made good use of his Shadow clones. Doing a back flip to gain altitude, Amaya began to put on quite the show as she did aerial somersaults, leaps, and rolls to evade not only Naruto's clones, but Sasuke's weaponry. She could hear cheering, so she assumed that the spectators were thoroughly enjoying the match, despite it only having just begun; it was going to get a lot more interesting once the three of them began pulling jutsu out.

As if reading her thoughts, Sasuke began making hand seals that she was all too familiar with. Just as she finished dispatching of the last of Naruto's clones, Sasuke took in a deep breath and let it out as a blast of the Great Dragon Fire technique that Kurai often used, and which Sasuke had used in the battle against Itachi. Smiling to herself, Amaya withdrew a Hiraishin kunai from her belt pouch and threw it so that it whizzed right between and past the heads of both boys. Mere nanoseconds after the kunai had sliced a few strands of hair from the head of each boy, and Amaya was performing a handstand between them with her legs in a full split over her head. Twisting on her hands with speed and control that was startling, she struck them both as she performed a whirlwind kick. She did not infuse any of her chakra into these blows, for fear that doing so would knock them both out since she struck them both in the jaw. She did not want to have to heal them instead of test them, so she spun away while doing several back flips until she landed on her feet, in a cat-like crouch, some yards away. Stumbling several steps before regaining their footing, Sasuke and Naruto gave her startled looks; she was taking them just as seriously as she had the mineral clone she'd made of Itachi. To say the least, this was not quite what they had expected her to do. They exchanged looks, realizing that they'd have to try harder if they wanted to actually stay in the ring for at least twenty minutes and land the five blows minimum that each of them would need to even hope to pass the final exam.

"Alright, let's take this up a notch…" Amaya heard Sasuke mutter as Naruto nodded to emphasize the raven's point. She chuckled and prepared for anything they might try as she replied.

"Good; you're both starting to take this seriously." Beckoning for them to try again, she smiled widely. "Now we can get on with the real portion of the exam!"

~Half an hour later~

Naruto and Sasuke had succeeded in the goal of the exam: they had been fighting with Amaya for a little over a half an hour and each of them had landed no less than seven hits on the female Jounin. Smiling, Tsunade made to stand and announce the end of the battle, but she stopped as all of them felt an unbelievable chakra surging towards them. A massive explosion and a giant cloud of dust rocked the arena as something appeared in the forest just outside the village. Amaya easily recognized Naga's chakra and the slightly subdued, but still very much present, chakra of Kurai. Unconsciously moving towards the familiar chakra signatures, Amaya ignored the startled gasps of the crowds and the subtly concerned murmurs of Naruto and Sasuke as the giant snake lashed out in annoyance at having landed in such conditions as a cramped little forest clearing.

'**Why choose such a place to arrive in a reverse summoning?'** Naga hissed thoughtfully as his serpentine form coiled in on itself to fit in the tiny clearing Kurai had supplied as the arrival point after homing in on Amaya's chakra. After a moment, the snake spotted Amaya and flicked his tongue towards the arena in a greeting. **'Amaya-hime seems to be in the training arena, Kurai.'** The snake opened his jaws to let Kurai climb out, but both of them had forgotten to take Naga's venom into account: the snake had not bitten Kurai, but some of his venom was constantly present in his saliva. Thus, having ridden in the snake's mouth for half an hour, Kurai's already injured body had been exposed to the equivalent of a small yet lethal dose of Naga's poison. Luckily, he'd built up a tolerance to the venom, but when compounded by the injuries Pein had inflicted and other mostly healed injuries from fighting Zetsu and Kisame, the result was a rather disoriented Kurai as he fell through the tree branches and then onto the ground with a sickening crunch. Cursing profusely, and quite colorfully, he gingerly got to his feet and placed a hand on the scaly body of the giant snake for support.

"Now I recall why I hate traveling coach via snake summons." Kurai muttered irritably as Naga eyed him concernedly. "Thank you Naga, but that will be all for now." The snake did not seem convinced of his master's feigned good condition, but departed all the same. For several minutes, Kurai simply stood and allowed the pain to register as he catalogued each injury and the amount of chakra it would take to heal them all. "Fucking hell, man…" He muttered darkly as he began to half-walk, half-drag himself towards the village. "This is going to be a real bitch of a week!" Meanwhile, Tsunade had declared that Naruto and Sasuke, as well as a few others from the genin group, had successfully completed the exam and would be notified as to their promotion in one week. As soon as people had started filing out of the arena, Amaya made a beeline straight for the slow and steady, but rapidly fading, pulse of Kurai's chakra. Sakura easily fell into step beside the woman who had become like a sister to her; she was just as concerned about Kurai as Amaya was. Minato and Kushina were naught but three steps behind their daughter, Naruto and Sasuke right behind them, and the small group quickly fanned out around the fiery-gold haired female leading the way.

"Kurai…" Amaya's whisper of his name was very fearful as they spotted him, leaning heavily on a tree just outside the gates to the village and covered from head to toe in blood and what appeared to be some form of slime. Not pausing for a moment, Amaya was instantly at his side and running a hand across his brow. "My god, you're burning up! And you're covered in slime…" Amaya let her healing chakra seep into her hands as she scanned her lover and husband for injuries, finding amazingly few that were severe. What worried her was the astounding amount of snake venom she found present in his body despite the absence of any snake bite. Taking a second look at Kurai's condition and putting Naga's presence into perspective, Amaya figured it out: he had been _inside_ Naga's mouth when the snake was summoned and had probably absorbed a lot of venom through his open wounds. Now truly afraid, she asked Sakura to help her as she eased Kurai down onto the ground while telling Naruto to send a clone to fetch Tsunade.

"He'll be alright, won't he Amaya?" This was Sasuke's question; Amaya was surprised by the real concern, and even a hint of fear, in the younger Uchiha's voice. Not trusting herself to give him an answer, Amaya concentrated instead of finding out how badly poisoned Kurai was. She began to check the dilation of his pupils and was stunned by the completely glossy stare that met her: it appeared that he was now truly blind, but that wasn't the only thing that could cause such a glazed look in the eyes. She tried to talk to him, to get any kind of a response, but Kurai appeared to have become catatonic. Frowning, Amaya decided that she needed to get as much of the poison out as she could, and she couldn't wait for Naruto's clone to get back with Tsunade. She concentrated her chakra into her hands after forming several seals, and the result was a manifestation of her chakra in the form of a large sphere of water and an earthen bowl in which to put it. "Sasuke, Naruto, the two of you will have to hold him still because this is going to hurt him…a lot. Sakura, you can help me extract the poison." She looked to her parents and gave them a brief smile. "Okaachan, Otousan…can the two of you help Naruto and Sasuke keep him still?" Both nodded and Kushina promptly took a firm hold of one of Kurai's legs while Minato took the other; Naruto and Sasuke were both pressing down firmly on his shoulders. Satisfied that he was as restrained as he was going to get, Amaya said nothing as she began to extract the poison from Kurai's body with Sakura doing the same on his opposite side. Between them, Amaya and Sakura had removed nearly two thirds of the poison by the time Tsunade arrived with Naruto's shadow clone. Without a word, the female Hokage knelt beside Kurai and took over from Amaya and Sakura, both of whom were shaking from the amount of effort they'd been putting into healing him. Sakura fell back and gave a defeated sigh, unable to do anymore for lack of chakra, while Amaya frowned and pressed on with Tsunade's assistance until the very last traces of Naga's venom were removed.

"How did this happen to him?" Tsunade demanded fiercely as she wrapped Amaya's hastily removed tank top and torn pant legs, having been ripped into long strips for bandages, about Kurai's injuries. "The fever will not break; he has been affected by that poison we extracted, and we can't do anything about that without an antidote. He could still die Amaya, unless you tell me where that poison came from."

"It was Naga, his personal snake summons." Amaya said softly while worriedly brushing the hair from Kurai's face: he was still unresponsive, and despite his track record of never passing out from pain, that was precisely what he appeared to have done. "There is no antidote, Tsunade-bachan, or I would have already had several vials on hand for instances just like this. Every antidote we've ever made for Naga's, or even Manda's, venom has always been effective once, but never twice. It's like the venom learns and adapts, gaining immunity to the anti-venoms and antidotes we create for them. Kurai has an amazing tolerance for poisons, but this is one thing nobody can help him with…this time, we can't jump in and save him. He'll have to beat this one all on his own, and he will beat this poison, Tsunade." Amaya's tone held a certain finality that frightened the others; even as they helped get Kurai back to his and Amaya's home, Sakura gasped as she felt his chakra seemed to falter and give out. Later, she would hear from Tsunade that Kurai, to all intents and purposes, was as one who had died: he had no chakra, no heart beat, and he had stopped breathing. However, Amaya refused to let anyone examine him and simply put him to bed while smiling and saying he'd be well again in no time; she refused to accept that he might really be dead.

…

_**Kurai could feel nothing, see nothing, hear nothing, taste nothing, and smell nothing; there was only darkness such as he'd never known. He knew it was unimaginably cold, but was unsure as to how he knew this; he couldn't actually feel the cold…he simply knew that it was so. Frowning, he attempted to call out into the darkness only to find that his voice failed him.**_

_**:There is nothing here, cublet…you have died, and soon I will die within you as well.: The Rokubi's consciousness said softly, almost sadly, and Kurai felt a flutter of panic rise in his chest before he savagely squashed it out.**_

_**:That cannot be right, Akuma… If I had died, then I would know it.:**_

_**:No, that is not always so, cublet. Many have died e'er before they knew it only to find themselves here, in Hell. For that IS where we are cublet, would you only stop to acknowledge it. However, I commend your fighting spirit; keep that up and you might just will yourself back to life. By all means, please keep denying your death, for if you live, then I too will live.: Kurai knew he shook his head fiercely, though he could not feel it and snarled angrily at the wolf bijuu who sat in repose among the shadows of death.**_

"_**I cannot die; not like this, and sure as Hell not now!" Kurai roared viciously as he felt pain take over his body.**_

…

He could hear only sobbing, could smell only tears and sorrow, taste only blood and bile, and feel only pain as he felt something pulling at him, clutching onto his chest as he lay perfectly still on what felt like a bed. Perhaps what disoriented him most was the searing pain he felt in his eyes as he cracked them open only to have his vision flooded with light: he knew not how, but he had regained his vision. Ignoring the dull pain and cold stiffness that had invaded his body, Kurai looked down at the figure that was lying across his chest, crying uncontrollably into the bandages that covered his skin: his heart ached and he felt a swell of guilt for causing her such pain. "Koishii²…please stop crying. I'm not really worth so many tears, now am I?" He asked playfully through gritted teeth as he sat up, startling Amaya as he did so. More tears spilled over and ran down her cheeks as he gently cupped her cheek in one icy hand while using his thumb to rub away some of those same salty drops of liquid.

"I…I didn't think…that you'd be able to come back…not this time…" She spoke haltingly, obviously very upset as she refused to meet his eyes. "You were really dead…and I-I used the Shichibi's Tensei ninjutsu…I had no way of knowing…if it would work on you!" Sighing, Kurai pulled her onto the bed beside him and held her close while wiping away the tears; she had forfeited a portion of her own life to bring him back, using the chakra of the Shichibi, something she generally never did unless she was utterly desperate.

"Shhh…come now, stop crying Koishii." He murmured gently against her hair as her sobs lessened against his chest, bare if not for the bandages binding the lacerations he'd gotten in his tangle with Pein. As several more moments passed, he could feel the warmth and life spreading rapidly through his body; apparently, having the Rokubi was helping him out yet again as his body revitalized itself in record time. "Stop acting like I'm going to disappear, Koishii. I'm not going anywhere, or haven't you figured that out yet?" She looked up at him, no longer sobbing, but still with tears in her eyes and on her cheeks, and she laughed at him.

"Ass…" She teased softly, briefly sticking her tongue out at him before he pulled her in for a deep and meaningful kiss.

_****WARNING: SMUT! IF YOU WANT TO SKIP THE SEX, GO TO **END SMUT**: IT WILL LOOK JUST LIKE THIS****_

"Don't stick that thing out unless you intend to use it…" Kurai growled suggestively against her mouth and she squirmed against him, suddenly very much aware that Sumomo and Tsuchino still had the twins, having offered to watch them while Amaya was busy with the Chûnin exams. Taking the initiative on a whim, she smiled in return to his words and parted her lips against his. He let his tongue slip between the now parted flesh and was pleased when she met his tongue with her own. After a moment, they parted and she pushed him back against the bed, leaning in to caress his neck and left earlobe with her lips and tongue. Heedless of the knowledge that somebody would probably come to check on them, what with Tsunade's parting comment about noticing that he'd stopped breathing, Amaya let her attentions drift down over his collarbone and onto his chest as a satisfied growl egged her on; he was enjoying this and wasn't in the least bit ashamed to admit it. Smirking that damnable sexy smirk of his, he watched her as she moved while shifting what little clothing he had left; that was to say, unbuckling his belt and sliding his pants down far enough hot grant her access to particular and rather…desirable…parts of his anatomy. He gave a groan as her lips brushed against his hip and she smiled before rubbing one thumb along his rapidly hardening length.

"You never cease to amaze, Koibito…" A 'hnn' was Kurai's only response to her soft teasing, so she explained further as she let the very edge of her tongue graze the tip of his cock, causing him to twitch and give a purr-like growl. "Here you are, freshly revived from the dead, and you want to fuck."

"You're just that irresistible, Koishii…" Kurai rumbled as he let his eyes close and leaned his head back on the pillows while Amaya took him into her mouth, caressing and teasing with her tongue as she began to suck hungrily. Kurai felt a shudder pass through him as she performed delightful things on him, and was for the most part not only unable to do otherwise, but also perfectly content to remain still and let her have her fun. She pulled away in a slow and agonizing way, stopping completely just before he would have reached his peak. Giving a low and non-threatening growl, he pulled her roughly to him and began tearing off the remnants of her clothes that had not been torn into bandages. Soon enough, she was totally exposed as he kissed, licked, and nipped every bit of her he could; he was utterly ravenous for more of her, since the last time he'd taken her, excluding the time only a month previously, was a month before she'd had the twins. In short, he'd only touched her twice over the course of the past four months, and he was now desperately in need of fulfilling his desires for her. She moaned as he pulled her as close as possible while biting down on the tender flesh of the crook of her neck. Letting one hand wander over the luscious curve of one of her hips, Kurai slid one hand down over her ass and pressed a finger against her clit: she was very wet, and judging from the heat coming from both of their bodies, she was just as hungry for him as he was for her. Carefully positioning her above him, Kurai released her neck only to take one nipple into his mouth instead, sucking and nipping at the delicate flesh as a distraction while he pulled her down onto his cock. Amaya cried out from the mixture of sensations from being penetrated while he never once neglected her breast.

"A-ah…Kurai!" Gasping as he lay completely back against the pillows while keeping a firm hold on her, Amaya felt his hardness shift inside of her as he released her breast in favor of the now easier access he had to her neck and shoulders. Even as he began to set a rhythm, pumping himself in and out of her welcoming entrance, Kurai continued to nip and suck at her throat while keeping her from taking the dominant role by wrapping his arms around hers and pinning them behind her back. He'd let her take control, but only after he'd gotten her to climax at least once…he wanted to hear her scream first. As he increased his pace, pounding in and out of her, she was left gasping for air and moaning against his shoulder. Suddenly, she instinctively bit his shoulder and began to suck on the vein she had bitten. Kurai groaned and unconsciously bucked against her while releasing her arms, his cock twitching inside of her in response to her actions. Amaya clung to him desperately as she felt herself reaching an orgasm, but she did manage to muffle her voice as she all but screamed his name by latching onto his shoulder again. As her orgasm subsided, Kurai slowed his pace to slowly slide in and out of her in a teasing manner while she lay on top of him, shuddering from the force of her climax.

"Bastard…" She muttered affectionately as she pushed herself up on her elbows to capture his lips with her own.

"Actually, I'm just a dick." Came the glib reply against her mouth and she gave a low growl of her own as she pulled away from him, forcing almost all of his length out of her tantalizing opening while eliciting a pleasured growl from her lover.

"Yes, you are definitely that…" Pushing back down onto his length, she licked his ear and murmured to him. "Now it's my turn…to tease you." She slid her body up and down on him for several minutes, going tortuously slow on purpose before beginning to speed up until she felt him come close to losing himself inside of her. Then, she would stop and wait until he would open her eyes and give her a look that was as close to begging as the proud man beneath her would ever get. She repeated this process perhaps five times before he gave a growl and rolled the both of them over, putting him on top of her. Looking up at the almost feral look in his eyes, Amaya felt no fear and simply lay still, waiting for him to do what he wanted with her. Pulling completely out of her, Kurai kissed her with a subdued sense of savagery before shifting his weight and her position completely. He now had her lying on her stomach as he let his tongue snake out to tease at her pussy and clit, causing her to gasp and moan as he slipped the strong, hot, and wet muscle into her. She was still very wet, so it was not a matter of lubrication; no, Kurai just reveled in the taste of her and he loved watching her twitch and squirm at his doing. When he felt her tighten around his tongue, he stopped and pressed his dick to her pussy, but he didn't enter her…not just yet.

"Kurai…" She pleaded softly; she wanted and needed him to be inside of her again after he'd brought her so close only to let her slip back down.

"Oh…? You want me to fuck you hard?" Kurai asked with a devilish smirk dancing on his lips as he leaned over and kissed the soft skin between her shoulders. Annoyed and shivering from his kiss, Amaya retaliated by rocking back on her knees; Kurai shuddered with pleasure and groaned as this simple action put him deep inside her. "Crazy bitch…pain in my ass…" Kurai ground out as she began to rock her hips back against his while she smiled seductively at having once again taken the upper hand. Leaning over her and holding tightly onto one of her hips, Kurai placed his other hand on the bed next to hers for added support as he began to thrust against her rhythm, doubling the pleasure for them both. Kurai's hearing, sharpened by the presence of Rokubi within him, picked up someone knocking on the front door and then opening it, but he ignored it as he felt Amaya reaching another climax. Crying out as she came, hard and wet, Kurai let his own climax take a firm hold as he felt her tightening around him, releasing his seed deep inside of her. Somehow, he instinctively knew that she almost certainly would not conceive, so he was unconcerned about the lack of birth control usage. Panting from the amount of exertion, Kurai withdrew from her and both of them collapsed onto the bed in exhaustion. Had he wanted to, Kurai probably could have kept going for a couple more rounds, but he wasn't sure Amaya's already tired body would be able to keep up with him.

_****END SMUT: IF YOU SKIPPED IT, IT IS SAFE TO READ AGAIN. YOU DIDN'T MISS MUCH FOR PLOT PURPOSES.****_

Amaya murmured contently as Kurai pulled her back close against his chest, burying his nose in her shoulder and kissing the worried flesh that he'd been ruthlessly abusing moments before. He chuckled as her breathing began to even out into a pattern that he knew extremely well: she was falling asleep. Still smiling a bit, Kurai rose from the bed to the tune of Amaya's sleepy protest; she didn't want him to let go of her because sleeping next to him was like having a private human heater/electric blanket. Pulling his pants back to their proper place and buckling his belt, Kurai went to the closet and pulled out one of his shirts. Returning to the bed, he slipped it over the prone and semi-conscious form of his wife while chuckling at her silly attempt to snuggle back into the warmth of his body. He heard someone move just outside the door and he knew they'd been there for several minutes, whoever it was. Still in naught but his pants and the bandages on his torso, since Amaya had removed his shirt and boots as well as his socks, Kurai quietly padded over to the bedroom door and slipped out. He found Jiraiya, hastily scribbling down notes and doing erratic sketches in a notepad. "How am I not surprised to see that you're using this to your perverted advantage?" Kurai scoffed in a lightly amused tone, causing the Sannin to start and clutch his notepad to his chest protectively.

"Ah-ha, Kurai…well, I suppose there is no explaining my way out of this one, huh?" The white-haired toad sage asked in mild embarrassment, and more than a little fear for his person.

"No, not really…I know you too well to believe any excuse you could give anyway." Kurai shrugged nonchalantly as he went past Jiraiya and downstairs, only to find Amaya's parents, Tsunade, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura sitting in the kitchen. Kurai paid them no mind as he rummaged in a cabinet for the cigarettes he'd hidden there, away from any danger of being tossed or confiscated. He casually opened the kitchen window and leaned back on the sill as he lit one, ignoring the stares from the others until Tsunade made a point of loudly clearing her throat. Kurai took a long drag off the cigarette before exhaling the smoke and meeting Tsunade's eyes. "Yes…?" He asked calmly; he knew what she was soundlessly asking, but he did not want to give her the answer yet.

"What happened?" Tsunade demanded while scowling fiercely first at him and then the still slightly jubilant Jiraiya.

"Do you mean just now upstairs, and thereby are referring to whatever made Jiraiya so happy, or are you referring to my mission in Amegakure?" Kurai asked with a certain smug glint in his eyes, knowing that all of them had probably heard some of what he assumed Jiraiya had seen: how on earth did the man, who thought of Amaya as a granddaughter, stomach watching her getting fucked? Shrugging the thought from his mind, Kurai chuckled as Tsunade faltered, obviously thrown off by his roguish reply. "Because what happened upstairs in not really your business, just as it was not meant for Jiraiya to use as 'inspiration'; however, I think I can confidently say he'll use it anyway; won't you, you crazy old pervert?" Jiraiya actually ducked away instinctively as Kurai shifted his weight from one foot to the other and took another long pull at his cigarette, effectively finishing the first one he'd had in nearly two months. "Now, the mission in Amegakure was successful; Pein has been completely neutralized. By that, I mean that the lower half of his real body was vaporized, and the upper half is not inclined to go anywhere ever again. I'd have brought you his head, but I figured that would just be overdoing it what with Madara hot on my tracks. I was injured and I didn't have enough chakra to use Hiraishin or a reverse summoning on my own; therefore, I summoned Naga and hid in his mouth while he used a reverse summoning to bring us here. Lucky me, I've built up quite the tolerance to dying."

"B-but…Kurai, you _were_ dead! Tsunade-shishou couldn't find a pulse, you weren't breathing, and you were as cold as ice!" Sakura was obviously very distraught at seeing someone who had been a corpse naught but perhaps an hour previously up and walking around, especially not after what the girl had probably heard through the floor of the master bedroom that was the ceiling to the kitchen.

"Yes." Kurai said simply, as if this were the most natural conversation in the world. "However, I am not so now, therefore there is no need to be so upset Sakura-chan." Kurai lit another cigarette, aware that Naruto was giving him a strange, almost understanding look while Sasuke was simply dumbfounded.

"How are you living?" Sasuke spoke to him for the first time since the twins had been born and Kurai laughed as he let the smoke from his cigarette exit his lungs; one day, he would have to genuinely quit.

"Amaya inherited a Tensei ninjutsu from having the Shichibi fused with her, that's how." He chuckled again as he reached out the window, rubbing the cherry of his smoke out on the outside wall of the house before tucking it back into the pack and returning the cigarettes to his back pocket. "Ask Sakura or Naruto if you still don't get it; Chiyo-baasama of Sunagakure used a similar technique to revive Gaara after Shukaku was extracted from him. By sacrificing some of your own life, you can restore the life of someone who has died or even a puppet who has never known life. Tensei ninjutsu is extremely rare and difficult to perfect, so you don't see it very often. That's part of the reason Itachi avoided Amaya for two whole months prior to his fight with you; he knew that if Amaya could find him, she'd just bring his sorry ass back and beat you upside the head until you accepted the truth. Naturally, that wouldn't have worked for obvious reasons." Once again, Sasuke was unable to form coherent words, left only with the ability to open and close his mouth in a mute attempt to question his sibling's meaning. Chuckling, Kurai stretched and elicited an unnerving series of cracks and popping sounds as several bones and joints protested to being pulled sharply back into place after being abruptly and unnaturally loosened from the vestiges of rigor mortis by his recent vigorous physical activities with Amaya. "Now we have one last critical detail and problem to deal with: Madara Uchiha, alias Tobi of Akatsuki and Mizukage of the Hidden Mist. We have to be prepared for an attack at any time, though I'm inclined to think that he'll retreat for now and bid his time, possibly collecting more extremely powerful shinobi under him before he chances tackling the task of completing his collection of bijuu. He might attack tomorrow, or he might retreat into the shadows again for the next ten years; we have no way of predicting him at this point, since not even I have been able to keep accurate tabs on him, so all we can do is wait, and keep improving ourselves while we wait for the attack that is bound to come sooner or later."

"That's it then, we just wait for him to get strong again?" Naruto asked in mild disbelief. "Shouldn't we go after him now, while he's weak and vulnerable?!"

"No, Naruto…Madara is not the kind to ever get weak and vulnerable; he simply needs more than one person to extract a bijuu, since it is a massive task that requires vast amounts of chakra from the ones performing the technique. It took three days to extract Shukaku from Gaara, and Shukaku is the weakest of all the bijuu. That alone should tell you why Madara will wait and seek the aid of others, probably lying to them just as he did those whom we've already killed. Yes, they all joined willingly, but he only recently revealed his real identity to any of them; more specifically, he told them after Itachi died and he'd taken Sasuke in." Kurai was only half paying attention as he felt Tsuchino and Hatori approaching; he could feel two smaller, but very strong, chakra signatures and he smiled as he moved towards the front door. Opening it, he startled Tsuchino and Hatori as he ushered them in, instantly claiming Minoru in one arm and Mitsuko in the other: the now nearly three month old twins instantly latched onto him. Minoru clung to his clothing while Mitsuko took a fistful of his now shoulder blade-length hair, which he had forgotten to pull back out of reach, into her small hand and pulled…hard. Grimacing half-heartedly, he murmured to the infant not to pull daddy's hair, only to have Mitsuko give a happy gurgle as she gave her father's hair another yank; after all, she was only three months old. Sighing wistfully, Kurai thanked Tsuchino and Hatori for bringing them home. "Amaya's asleep upstairs, so I'll just keep them down here with me; besides, I think it's about time I got caught up on spending some quality time with these two before they turn into complete hellions. Knowing my luck, Tsunade will ship me off on another long mission soon, and then who knows how old they'll be when I get back." As he carried the twins into the kitchen, still talking over his shoulder to Tsuchino and the ever-reluctant Hatori, Kurai realized that this was probably the first time anyone out of the group in the kitchen had actually seen him interacting with the twins; the instant silence and expectant gazes as he easily juggled his son and daughter were duly noted, and he chuckled as he pulled a large piece of sturdy fabric, a tablecloth perhaps, from a tall cupboard. Without disturbing wither twin for an instant, Kurai angled the fabric around and fashioned it into a make-shift baby sling across his back before easily shifting both infants into in one fluid motion. Smirking, he took in the startled looks of the three teens, as well as the stunned but respectful look on Hatori's face, as he began to sift through the cupboards and the fridge, all the while pulling out various pots, pans, and the ingredients that he would need to make dinner.

"Rai, when did you learn that trick?" Tsuchino asked while cautiously prying a lock of his hair from Mitsuko's fists. "Y'know, the one with the tablecloth…"

"Hmm? Oh, that…I picked that up during the three years I had Naruto under my guardianship; he was a really cute baby." Kurai reply nonchalantly as he pointedly ignored the slight sting in his scalp as Mitsuko renewed her hold on daddy's hair, seemingly with a vengeance for having been denied the much desired plaything that was Kurai's now semi-long hair. Naruto began spluttering helplessly, having forgotten that Kurai had been his sole caretaker for the first three years of his life despite Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Amaya having repeatedly told him the information; Sakura giggled at him while Sasuke just smirked and muttered under his breath, "Dobe…"

"_**Shut up**__, Sasuke-teme_!!!" Kurai's shoulders shuddered with suppressed laughter as Naruto shouted, causing Mitsuko and Minoru to screw up their faces in the beginnings of crying, only for their father to extend a bit of soothing chakra to quiet them. Sakura-chan, it's not funny!" Naruto protested, helpless as Sakura's giggles escalated into an outright laughing fit.

"Calm down, Naruto…" Kurai said with a sigh. "You're upsetting your niece and nephew." At Kurai's words, Naruto instantly paled and began to apologize profusely, which only earned him a deep-throated laugh from Kurai. "Relax, cublet…I'm not going to maul you." Kurai was still chuckling as he spoke, realizing that he was speaking like the Rokubi's consciousness without intending to, but shrugging it off as trivial while inviting those who were interested to remain for dinner. Tsunade, Jiraiya, Tsuchino, Hatori, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all left for missions, other duties, or due to previous plans. This left Kurai alone with the twins and Amaya's parents, and feeling very much at odds. After a few moments, Kushina subtly broke the ice by scooping up Minoru and handing him to Minato before taking Mitsuko into her own arms. After several minutes, having finished dinner, Kurai began to head upstairs to wake Amaya for the needed meal; Kushina softly called him back by suggesting they let her sleep. Hesitating for a brief pause, Kurai gave in since he knew Amaya likely had not been sleeping well in his absence. Frowning at this realization, he sighed as he served Minato and Kushina before pulling a large container labeled "Mitsuko & Minoru" out of the fridge. Removing the lid, he had only to take a single sniff to identify the contents as breast milk, and it didn't take him long to prepare two bottles for the babies. Testing the temperature against his wrist, he impressed both Kushina and Minato as he held both twins, one in each arm, at the perfect angle to hold both of their bottles at the same time: soon they would be too big for him to do this, so he was going to take advantage of the ability as often as he could before that time.

"You're really good with them, Kurai…" Kushina said softly while watching the twins with the man that the entire village thought was their biological father, but who was really their father in everything but that. "Who'd have guessed that you would be such a family type, huh?" Kurai snorted quite unceremoniously at that comment, but said nothing; Kushina probed further. "So, have you and Amaya considered have any more, you know, in the future?" A frown was her only answer as Kurai noted the scent of oncoming diaper changes arising from the now sleepy duo he held in his arms. Quietly excusing himself, Kurai took the twins upstairs and burped them; he then gave them their evening baths, put clean and dry diapers on them, and laid them down to bed for the night. When he came back into the kitchen, Minato and Kushina were quietly talking and they both smiled at him when he came back; slightly suspicious, Kurai ate his dinner in silence while the two older shinobi eyed him mischievously. He had the sneaking feeling that they knew something, and he didn't like the way they seemed to be intent of forcing him to talk to them about whatever they thought they knew. Finally, he caved in and answered their questions: by the time they left, they knew virtually everything there was to know. They knew that the twins were his, but that Itachi was their biological father, not him; they knew that he had toyed with the idea of having a child with Amaya, but that it would only happen on her terms and if she wanted it to. Never once did they make him feel like the bastard or asshole he felt he was; they were concerned about him, Amaya, and the twins as a whole, and he couldn't help but be grateful for that. As he slid into bed beside Amaya, he was truly content with this life, this brief piece of happiness, that he had forged and intended to protect with all that he was.


End file.
